Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) Initiative

08.11.2023

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Why in the news?

Recently, the Indian Navy Chief Admiral said that the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) initiative is a testament to the commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.

About the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) initiative:

• It was announced at the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo.
• It was announced to track “dark shipping” and build a “faster, wider, and more accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters”, integrating three critical regions in the Indo-Pacific — the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, and the IOR.

Purpose of IPMDA

• It is a technology and training initiative to enhance maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific region and to bring increased transparency to its critical waterways.
•  It harnesses innovative technology, such as commercial satellite radio frequency data collection, to provide partners across Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific with near real-time information on activities occurring in their maritime zones.

Benefits to regional partners

• The cutting-edge maritime domain awareness provided under IPMDA supports the ability of Indo-Pacific partners to rapidly detect and respond to a wide range of challenges.
• These challenges involving illicit maritime activities such as ---

○illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,

○climate events, and

○humanitarian crises.

• The initiative also involves regional information centers, helping to establish a common operating picture of the maritime domain across the Indo-Pacific region.

Significance

• It will build a faster, wider and more accurate maritime picture of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters.
• This common operating picture will integrate three oceanic regions – the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
• This will allow the tracking of “dark shipping” and other “tactical level” activities, such as rendezvous at sea by criminal actors – drug traffickers for example; as also respond to climate and humanitarian events, and protect their fisheries.

What is QUAD?

• It is known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' (QSD).
• It is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations, namely -- United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.

Objectives: To work for a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

• It is considered an alliance of maritime democracies, and the forum is maintained by meetings, semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills of all the member countries.

Formation of QUAD

• Since its establishment in 2007, the representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to pitch the idea for the formation of Quad in 2007.
• In fact, its origins can be traced back to the evolution of Exercise Malabar and the 2004 Tsunami when India conducted relief and rescue operations for itself and neighbouring countries and was later joined by the US, Japan and Australia.

What is the Significance of QUAD for Bharat ?

• If Chinese hostilities escalate along the border, Bharat will be able to counter with the help of the other Quad members.
• Quad provides a formidable platform for the US to advance its East Asian interests, coordinate policies with powerful allies, and strengthen its Act East programme.
• It is strengthening India's connections with the United States, Australia, and Japan, and giving New Delhi substantial clout in shaping US policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan to India's benefit.
• Bharat hopes to reassert a rule-based world order through QUAD in response to China's growing influence and assertiveness.
• Bharat can even conduct strategic explorations in the Indo-Pacific area with the help of its naval forces

Source:The Hindu