The strategic importance of the maritime domain is indisputable: 90 percent of the world’s commerce travels by sea; the majority of the world’s population lives within a few hundred kilometres of the oceans and nearly three-quarters of the world is covered in water. The sea has long been the basis of prosperity and security: a stable and secure ocean commons has been the foundation of the significant expansion of trade, communications, and wealth across the world. With the global shift towards Asia, which is primarily a maritime theatre, the notion of Pacific seapower is increasingly at the heart of discussions amongst lawmakers, naval planners, academics and industry representatives. The challenge is to apply seapower in a manner that protects national interests at sea, promotes greater collective security, stability, and trust, and does so in a manner that is appropriate to the region.

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Geography is a defining characteristic of any nation, and Canada is a maritime nation defined in part by its three oceans: the Atlantic, the Arctic and the Pacific. What is the Royal Canadian Navy’s role in the Asia-Pacific and how is it responding to the challenges and opportunities in a dynamic region of growing global importance?

The Pacific region has rapidly become the world’s center of maritime activity. Nine of the ten leading ports in the world are in Asia, those ports are at the heart of worldwide commercial shipping networks, and regional navies are growing in size and sophistication. Security analysts have begun to voice concerns that a naval arms race is underway. What are the political and military ramifications of these developments for regional states and internationally-engaged naval powers? Does the advent of more capable Asian navies presage an increase in maritime tensions?

The Philippines is facing a range of challenges in its defence and maritime affairs. What measures is the country taking to revitalize its naval forces, and what role does Manila see its relationships with partners and allies playing in its future defence considerations?

Any discussion of seapower requires a look at the ships that exert influence on or are influenced by the seas. The maritime realm is still one dominated by navies, coast guards, and other state-level maritime agencies, and a common thread in Asia is recapitalization and modernization of such services. As maritime planners look over the horizon in the Pacific, they are confronted by an array of challenges in their procurement programs? What are the considerations involved in choosing between indigenous construction and foreign procurement? Are there lessons to be learned and best practices to be adopted from the commercial sector? Are there possibilities for partnerships in development projects?

The American rebalance towards the Pacific is part of the overall shift in economic, political, and military power dynamics in the region. What are the main drivers of this policy, and what sort of military and political metrics will be used to assess its effectiveness? What role will America’s allies be asked to play in this process, and how might this increased engagement impact future relations with non-partner states?

Seapower is not only about navies and warships: an equally important component is a state’s ability to exploit the sea for commercial and economic purposes. The second great wave of globalization has seen a dramatic increase in the importance of sea-based economic activity in arenas such as commercial shipping and shipbuilding. Older methods of resource extraction, like fisheries, are being joined by hydrocarbon and seafloor resource mining. What is at stake in the maritime realm and what are the considerations of states and companies operating in contentious areas? Is international cooperation possible – and if so, what kind – given strongly-worded national interests?

Greater interest in offshore resources and the growing importance of seaborne trade has increased the risk of conflict emerging from unresolved maritime boundary disputes. Increased tensions related to these disagreements are perhaps the most likely source of conflict in the maritime realm. This is particularly true as states begin pursuing resource extraction activities in disputed ocean territories. Can conflict be averted, considering the high-stakes and nationalistic fervour attached to these issues by disputing states? Is there any promise of a cooperative and lasting solution within the framework of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea that will satisfy the ambitions of all parties, regardless of their political or military power? And how are non-party states, as users of the ocean commons, addressing their own approaches to these disputes?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has emerged as a significant trade bloc since its founding in 1967, accounting for a combined GDP of $2.1 trillion and a combined population of 609 million people. In some respects, ASEAN is also showing signs of becoming a more integrated political entity, particularly in the maritime realm, though this convergence is threatened by internal cultural and political differences, and external pressures from China and the US. Indeed, ASEAN appears to be splitting into three tiers, especially with regard to maritime issues: one challenging China (in part with American support), one pro-China, and one attempting to find a middle way between placating and not yielding to China. What, then, are the prospects and challenges to ASEAN on maritime cooperation, both internally and externally?

Technology is a leveller of the battlefield, and states across the Pacific are modernizing their maritime forces. Much of the equipment in service with modern navies has never been tested in prolonged conflict, and there are various instances from the past when well-worn theories, tactics, and equipment proved unsatisfactory when faced with the uncertainties of modern combat. Are today’s navies at serious risk from emerging technological developments? Is technological superiority still a force multiplier, and what platforms or weapons might prove decisive in tomorrow’s maritime operations?

States throughout Asia are increasingly dependent on maritime resources and trade for their prosperity. Much of the world economy depends on the safe transit of commercial vessels through Asian waters, though significant portions of these seas are the subject of intractable territorial disputes. Competition for resources is increasing, while states have devoted larger portions of their budgets to building and sustaining ever more sophisticated naval forces. Conflict is far from certain, though these competing trends suggest that regional tensions are likely to increase if cooperative solutions continue to remain elusive. What does this increase in economic activity and technological sophistication mean for the future of maritime operations in the region, and what might be the result of a failure to find cooperative political solutions to the region’s most pressing security issues? What role might non-regional states play in helping to stabilize this globally critical region?