Pathfinder Foundation, Australian High Commission and NatStrat hold Track 1.5 Trilateral Roundtable on Maritime Security

Pathfinder Foundation and the Australian High Commission in Colombo co-hosted a Track 1.5 Trilateral Roundtable titled “Sri Lanka-India-Australia: Maritime Neighbours and Partners”. The event at the Australian High Commission brought together key stakeholders and experts to discuss pressing maritime security issues in the region.

The programme commenced with a welcome address by Paul Stephens, Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, followed by introductory remarks by Ambassador (Retd.) Bernard Goonetilleke, Chairman, Pathfinder Foundation. Ms. Karen Radford, Assistant Secretary North and South Asia, Department of Defence, Australia, who is on an official visit to Colombo, centred her remarks around “Australian perspectives in the Indian Ocean Region and Defence’s Approach”, providing insights into the Australian National Defence Strategy (2024) and emphasizing the importance of international partnerships. She also reiterated Australia’s continuous commitment to building Sri Lanka’s sovereign capabilities in light of prevailing security challenges through training, sharing information and exchange.

The roundtable focused on three broad topics.

Future security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region and response options, covering traditional and non-traditional threats as well as issues relating to multilateral cooperation and governance, were presented by the Ambassador (Retd.) Pankaj Saran, Convenor of Natsrat India; Regional architecture with maritime security remit was addressed by Admiral (Retd.) Jayanath Colombage, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and former Foreign Secretary; and Maritime Domain Awareness with a special focus on opportunities for trilateral cooperation in maritime aerial surveillance and regional cooperation for hydrography by Dr David Brewster, Senior Research Fellow, Australian National University.

In his presentation, Ambassador (Retd.) Saran highlighted the urgent need to address climate change-related and other non-traditional threats that affect economic prosperity and security.

Ambassador Colombage discussed the evolving and unpredictable threats from non-state actors, highlighting the challenges posed by AI and cyber-attacks on shipping networks and stressing the need for robust responses to these common regional threats.

Dr. David Brewster underscored opportunities for trilateral cooperation in maritime aerial surveillance and regional hydrography and emphasized the importance of enhancing maritime domain awareness.

The roundtable concluded with an interactive session, allowing participants to share their perspectives in more depth. The closing remarks reinforced the commitment of Sri Lanka, India, and Australia to continue working together to address maritime security challenges and strengthen regional cooperation.This roundtable marks a significant step forward in enhancing maritime security collaboration among Sri Lanka, India, and Australia, paving the way for a more secure and stable Indian Ocean region.