Igniting Maritime Thought. Nurtured by @indiannavy
New Delhi, India
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The Indo-Pacific’s biggest conversation is about to happen.
For three days, the world’s sharpest maritime minds come together for the Indian Navy’s apex strategic dialogue — where India’s maritime vision, MAHASAGAR, meets the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
This is the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD).
👀 Stay tuned.
Image Credit: @indiannavy
#IPRD #IndoPacificRegionalDialogue #IndianNavy #IndoPacific MAHASAGAR IPOI #MaritimeSecurity NationalMaritimeFoundation StayTuned ComingSoon
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National Maritime Foundation (India) retweeted
A pleasure to participate in the First Intersubregional Economic Partnership Forum (ISEPF1) in Colombo, organised by the @ADB_HQ and the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (@TalkEcon_IPS).
I had the opportunity to chair the session on “Regional Experience and Capacities in Disaster-Resilient Logistics,” with valuable perspectives from Mr. Max Ee, Mr. Tia Kurniawan, and Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd.).
The discussion brought out an important message: the region is not starting from scratch. We already have institutions, response capabilities and cooperation mechanisms. The real question is: where does the existing architecture stop, and what gaps require collective action?
Three gaps stood out: membership, mandate, and triggers.
Disasters cross institutional boundaries; resilience must go beyond humanitarian relief to keeping essential trade moving; and regional cooperation needs to become more pre-arranged and ready to activate, rather than being assembled only after a crisis.
A very interactive discussion on moving from national capabilities towards stronger regional resilience. Including exchanges with Dr. Posh Raj Pandey and Ambassador Sumith Nakandala.
Thanks to Dr. Prabir De (@Prabir_India), ADB, IPS Sri Lanka, and all speakers and participants.
@MEAIndia | @RIS_NewDelhi | @AHACentre | @nmfindia |@sawteenp |@DakshinNews |@cmec_ris |@AIC_aseanindia |@fitm14
#ADB #IPS #RegionalCooperation #DisasterResilience #Logistics #SupplyChains #IndianOcean #SouthAsia #ASEAN #RIS
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🌊 World Maritime Day 2026: From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence
The maritime domain connects nations, economies and communities. Yet, the true strength of maritime policy lies not only in what we formulate, but in how effectively we translate it into action.
This World Maritime Day, we reflect on the theme “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence”—a call to bridge the gap between global commitments and their implementation across our seas, ships and ports.
From safer and more resilient shipping to environmental sustainability, technological innovation and the protection of seafarers, maritime excellence is built through effective implementation, capacity, cooperation and collective responsibility.
⚓ From policy to practice. From commitments to action. From ambition to maritime excellence.
Happy World Maritime Day 2026!
#WorldMaritimeDay #MaritimePolicytoPractice #MaritimeExcellence #MaritimeSecurity #MaritimeSafety #MaritimeGovernance #SustainableShipping #BlueEconomy #MaritimeIndia #IndianOcean #NMF
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The National Maritime Foundation (NMF), India, in collaboration with Indo-Pacific Strategic Intelligence (ISI), Indonesia, convened a joint webinar on “Advancing India–Indonesia Cooperation under the IPOI Marine Resources Pillar: Perspectives on the Andaman–Aceh Corridor.”
Bringing together maritime experts and scholars from India and Indonesia, the webinar examined pathways for translating the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) into practical bilateral cooperation. Discussions focused on the role of India and Indonesia as middle powers in navigating an evolving Indo-Pacific strategic environment; institutionalising strategic trust through the IPOI; and identifying tangible priorities for Indonesia’s co-leadership of the IPOI Marine Resources Pillar.
A particular focus was placed on the Andaman–Aceh Corridor as a geographical framework for strengthening bilateral maritime cooperation. Speakers explored its strategic significance and opportunities for enhancing maritime connectivity, security, resilient supply chains, and broader cooperation under the IPOI.
The webinar reaffirmed the value of sustained India–Indonesia Track 1.5 engagement and the institutional partnership between the NMF and ISI Indonesia in generating policy-relevant ideas and actionable recommendations for advancing a stable, resilient, connected, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
#IndiaIndonesia #IndoPacific #IPOI #MarineResources #AndamanAceh #MaritimeCooperation #MaritimeSecurity #BlueEconomy #NMF #ISIIndonesia
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Mr John J Vachaparambil, Senior Associate Fellow, NMF gave a lecture on the topic 'Illicit Maritime Crimes' during the TTX (Table-Top Exercise) conducted as part of the Colombo Security Conclave, held from 09-11 September 2026, at the Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC), Visakhapatnam, within the Eastern Naval Command.
Mr Vachaparambil spoke on the legal facets of illicit maritime crime such as human trafficking, IUU fishing, narcotics smuggling, among others.
#illicitmaritimeactivity #narcotics #iuu #iuufishing #maritimesecurity
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🌏 The world isn't multipolar anymore — it's tri-polar. Only the US, China, and Russia can wage war independently for indefinite periods. Where does that leave India?
In this article for the National Maritime Foundation, Col Ravinder Pal Singh (Retd) and Lt Gen Harinder Singh (Retd) introduce the concept of National Security Resilience (NSR) — a framework for assessing whether India's military capacity, socio-economic conditions, and techno-industrial productivity give it the staying power to sustain a prolonged conflict independently, without relying on external powers like the US or Russia.
⚔️ The authors argue that India's high GDP masks deeper structural constraints — low per capita income, weak manufacturing competitiveness, and dependence on legacy defence inventories — all of which threaten its combat resilience against a de facto China-Pakistan strategic convergence. Drawing lessons from Operation SINDOOR, the piece proposes a seven-pillar NSR framework spanning financial planning, technology, economic capacity, and social cohesion, and calls for a dedicated National Security Resilience Agency (NSRA) to coordinate India's preparedness.
👉 Read the full article by Col Ravinder Pal Singh and Lt Gen Harinder Singh at maritimeindia.org
#NationalSecurity #StrategicAutonomy #IndiaDefence #IndianArmy #Geopolitics #ChinaPakistan #NationalMaritimeFoundation #DefencePolicy #ThinkTank #IndiaChina
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#LAWSEA2026 drew to a close with the Vote of Thanks delivered by Ms Eram Mahtab, Research Associate, Public International Maritime Law Cluster, National Maritime Foundation — bringing two rich days of debate on maritime disputes to an end.
#LAWSEA2026 #MaritimeLaw #GNLU #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), Director-General, National Maritime Foundation, delivered the Summative Guidance at #LAWSEA2026, drawing two days of wide-ranging deliberation on maritime disputes into a coherent set of takeaways.
#LAWSEA2026 #MaritimeLaw #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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When litigation is neither available nor advisable, what remains? Professional Session Six of #LAWSEA2026 turned to the practical machinery of dispute management in the Indo-Pacific.
Moderated by Commodore Jai Bedi, IN, Executive Director, National Maritime Foundation, the session opened with Professor Yoshifumi Tanaka (online), Centre for Private Governance, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, on "Beyond Litigation: Provisional Arrangements, Joint Development and Cooperative Mechanisms." Dr Madhumita Kothari, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and former Senior Advisor, International Seabed Authority, followed with "What Governments Actually Need from Maritime Lawyers," before Mr Martin Egknud Petersen, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counsellor, Political Affairs, Embassy of Denmark, closed with "From Dialogue to Deterrence: Preventing Escalation While Preserving Legal Claims."
#LAWSEA2026 #IndoPacific #MaritimeLaw #DisputeResolution #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Six of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, IN (Retd), Chairman, National Maritime Foundation and former Chief of the Naval Staff, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Commodore Jai Bedi, IN, Dr Madhumita Kothari, and Mr Martin Egknud Petersen. A fitting close to a session that explored dispute management beyond the courtroom in the Indo-Pacific.
#LAWSEA2026 #IndoPacific #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Not every maritime dispute ends up in court — and increasingly, that is by design. Professional Session Five of #LAWSEA2026 examined how states contest legitimacy at sea through law, narrative and administrative practice.
Moderated by Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), Director-General, National Maritime Foundation, the session opened with Commodore Seshadri Vasan, IN (Retd), Regional Director, Tamil Nadu Chapter of NMF, on "Narrative Competition at Sea: How States Shape Maritime Legitimacy Without Litigation." Ms Raaga Manjari, Researcher, Ocean Law and Policy, Maritime Institute of Malaysia, followed with "Lawfare through Domestic Legislation, Cartography and Administrative Practice," before Dr Christian Schultheiss (online), Senior Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg, closed with "Alternative Legal Strategies in Maritime Disputes."
#LAWSEA2026 #Lawfare #MaritimeLaw #MaritimeSecurity #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Five of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Ms Simran Dhingra, Head of International Cooperation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, India Office, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd), Commodore Seshadri Vasan (Retd), and Ms Raaga Manjari. A fitting close to a session that explored lawfare, narrative and strategy in maritime disputes.
#LAWSEA2026 #Lawfare #NationalMaritimeFoundation #KonradAdenauerStiftung
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Opening Session — Day Two, LAWSEA 2026
Day Two of #LAWSEA2026 opened under the theme Dispute Management, Lawfare & Policy Choices, setting a distinctly different register from Day One's foundational legal debates.
Prof Manimuthu Gandhi, Vice President, Indian Society for International Law, New Delhi, delivered the Special Address on "Law as Compass: Managing Maritime Disputes Without Escalation" — a considered argument for law as a stabilising instrument rather than merely a site of contest.
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If one force is reshaping maritime disputes faster than any legal instrument can keep pace with, it is technology. Professional Session Four of #LAWSEA2026 confronted that reality head-on.
Moderated by Commodore Manish Kumar Sinha, IN (Retd), Senior Fellow, National Maritime Foundation, the session opened with Cdr Abhimanyu Singh, IN, Judge Advocate, CJA Office, HQSNC, Kochi, on "Emerging Technologies and the Future of Maritime Law." Ms Antara Jha, Advocate, Cyber Law, Government of India, followed with "Technology Outpaces Law: Where Existing Maritime Law No Longer Fits," before Ms Shalini, Assistant Professor of Law, Gujarat Maritime University, closed the panel with "Grey-Zone Competition Below the Threshold of Armed Conflict."
A session that made clear why the distance between law in abstraction and law in operation is widening fastest at the technological frontier.
#LAWSEA2026 #MaritimeLaw #CyberLaw #GreyZone #EmergingTech #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Where does the freedom of navigation end and a coastal state's security interest begin? Professional Session Three of #LAWSEA2026 took up one of the most contested grey zones in the law of the sea — the legal status of foreign military activity in the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Moderated by Dr Harsha Rajwanshi, Assistant Professor of Law, Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar, the session opened with Wg Cdr (Dr) U C Jha (Retd), Secretary General, Indian Society for International Law, New Delhi, on "Can a Coastal State Restrict Foreign Military Activities in its EEZ?" Mr Aristyo R Darmawan (online), PhD Scholar, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University, followed with "Freedom of Navigation versus Security Interests in Operational Practice," before Mr Himanil Raina, Honorary Adjunct Fellow, NMF, and PhD and Teaching Assistant, Department of International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute, closed the panel with "Reconciling Operational Necessity with Legal Restraint."
#LAWSEA2026 #EEZ #FreedomOfNavigation #UNCLOS #MaritimeLaw #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Three of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, IN (Retd), Former Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Dr Harsha Rajwanshi, Wg Cdr (Dr) U C Jha (Retd), and Mr Himanil Raina. A fitting close to a session that examined military activities, marine scientific research, and surveillance in the EEZ.
#LAWSEA2026 #EEZ #FreedomOfNavigation #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Two — Maritime Boundaries, Baselines, and Sovereignty Claims
How far can a coastal state's jurisdiction stretch, and on what evidentiary basis? Professional Session Two of #LAWSEA2026 turned to the foundational questions of maritime boundary-making.
Moderated by Dr Abhay Singh, Director (I/C) and Assistant Professor, School of Maritime Law, Policy and Administration, Gujarat Maritime University, the session opened with Ms Fretti G Ganchoon (online), Senior State Counsel, Department of Justice, Republic of the Philippines, on "Expanding Coastal State Jurisdiction: The Contiguous Zone in Contemporary Maritime Security." Rear Admiral Peush Pawsey, Chief Hydrographer (Officiating), National Hydrographic Office, followed with "Evidence at Sea: Hydrography, Climate Change and Scientific Data in Maritime Claims," before Dr Nguyen Ba Cuong, Director, Scientific Research Institute of Sea and Islands, Hanoi, closed the panel with "Straight Baselines, Archipelagic Claims and Strategic Cartography."
#LAWSEA2026 #MaritimeBoundaries #UNCLOS #MaritimeLaw #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Two of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, IN (Retd), Director-General, National Maritime Foundation, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Dr Abhay Singh, Rear Admiral Peush Pawsey, and Dr Nguyen Ba Cuong. A fitting close to a session that explored maritime boundaries, baselines, and sovereignty claims.
#LAWSEA2026 #MaritimeBoundaries #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session Three of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, IN (Retd), Former Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Dr Harsha Rajwanshi, Wg Cdr (Dr) U C Jha (Retd), and Mr Himanil Raina. A fitting close to a session that examined military activities, marine scientific research, and surveillance in the EEZ.
#LAWSEA2026 #EEZ #FreedomOfNavigation #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session One — UNCLOS Under Pressure: Interpretation, Compliance, and Contestation
Forty years after UNCLOS was adopted, the gap between what the Convention says and how states behave at sea remains as relevant as ever. Professional Session One of #LAWSEA2026 took this on directly.
Moderated by Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, IN (Retd), former Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, the session opened with Dr Maria Gavouneli (online), Professor at the Faculty of Law and Athens PIL, and Director of the Refugee and Migration Studies Hub, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, on "UNCLOS after Forty Years: What International Courts Have Clarified — and What They Cannot." Mr Neil Simon Silva, Lecturer at the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, University of the Philippines, followed with "From Treaty to Practice: How Maritime Powers Selectively Invoke UNCLOS," before Captain Himadri Das, IN, National Maritime Security Coordinator's Staff, closed the panel with "Beyond UNCLOS: Why Naval Operations Depend on More Than One Legal Regime."
A session that captured this year's central theme — the friction between law in abstraction and law in operation.
#LAWSEA2026 #UNCLOS #MaritimeLaw #InternationalLaw #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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Professional Session One of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony, with Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, IN (Retd), Chairman, NMF and former Chief of the Naval Staff, felicitating the speakers and moderator of the session — Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti (Retd), Dr Maria Gavouneli, Mr Neil Simon Silva, and Captain Himadri Das, IN. A fitting close to a session that examined UNCLOS under pressure, forty years on.
#LAWSEA2026 #UNCLOS #NationalMaritimeFoundation
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The Opening Session of #LAWSEA2026 set the tone for two days of debate on maritime disputes. Welcome Remarks were delivered by Ms Simran Dhingra (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung), followed by Presidential Remarks from Prof (Dr) Tanuja Kaushik, Dean of Academic Affairs, Gujarat Maritime University. Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan (Retd), Director-General, National Maritime Foundation, delivered the Inaugural Address, and Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi (Retd), Chairman NMF and former Chief of the Naval Staff, closed with a Special Address on "Maritime Disputes Today: From Delimitation to Day-to-Day Contestation."
#LAWSEA2026 #GNLU #NationalMaritimeFoundation #MaritimeLaw
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The Opening Session of #LAWSEA2026 concluded with a Felicitation Ceremony. Prof (Dr) Tanuja Kaushik, Dean of Academic Affairs, Gujarat Maritime University, felicitated all the dignitaries on the dais, following which Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, IN (Retd), Chairman, NMF and former Chief of the Naval Staff, felicitated Ms Simran Dhingra (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung) and Prof (Dr) Tanuja Kaushik — a gracious close to a session that set the tone for two days of rich deliberation on maritime disputes.
#LAWSEA2026 #GNLU #NationalMaritimeFoundation #KonradAdenauerStiftung
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