It was realized soon after the 9/11 attacks that maritime security was not a ‘job of one state,’ and in the words of Geoffrey Till it has to be ‘quintessentially cooperative.’
In an era defined by interconnected economies and shared global challenges, it essentially becomes an imperative for maritime nations to ‘come closer and operate together.’
The seas, which serve as vital arteries for trade, energy and communication, face escalating threats.
Though numbers may vary, but looking at the Indian Ocean through 2024, there have been 42 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy, 111 maritime terrorism attacks or attempted attacks, 9narco-smuggling seizures, 2 weapons smuggling interdictions, 15000 personnel crossing the Persian Gulf each month in human trafficking besides significant illegal, unreported & unregulated fishing and events of environmental degradation.
Everyone agrees, as highlighted in the start, that no single nation can effectively address these multifaceted issues alone. This demands, what the US Admiral Mullen called, a ‘1000-ship navy,’ advocating ‘maritime collaboration,’ for collective security to ensure the free flow of commerce and promote viable use of sea resources.
‘Maritime harmony’ here implies the state of balance and cooperation among maritime nations in utilizing the world’s oceans for shared economic and security benefits.
This is where the collaborative approach to maritime security comes in that seeks to: protect international waters, necessitates sustainable use of marine resources and ensures that the sea remains a source of connectivity and prosperity rather than conflict. Such a state is realizable given there is trust, transparency and a will for collective action among states to address challenges to maritime security.
Exercise Aman focuses on issues of maritime security including disaster response, search and rescue operations and counter-piracy; which are the real-world challenges that affect most of the maritime littorals irrespective of their size or influence.
The phrase ‘waves of peace,’ therefore, aligns suitably with these objectives of Exercise Aman; signifying Aman’s purpose to develop harmony on a larger scale through interaction of the naval forces and their leadership. Just as waves ripple outward, spreading calm and balance, Exercise Aman represents a collective effort to enhance operational interoperability, promote peace, security and cooperation, in contexts of regional and extra-regional planes.
This metaphor explains the exercise’s goal of creating a ripple effect, i.e., bringing together nations, organizations and individuals to collaboratively address challenges, build trust and pave the way for enduring peace. Like the waves that unify the shore and the sea, Exercise Aman embodies a unifying force, transcending boundaries to create a shared vision of stability and understanding.
Looking at Aman through its nearly two decades of history, it endeavours serving as a vital cohesive force in a world increasingly fractured by divisions and a pervasive lack of trust. Through naval drills, Aman Dialogue and bringing international stakeholders together on one platform, Aman builds bridges where divisions exist, instills confidence where skepticism prevails and reinforces the idea that unity and cooperation are indispensable for sustained peace and security in maritime global commons.
In a time of geopolitical tensions, Aman stands out as a neutral platform where Americans, Chinese, Russians and Irani officials can meet each other and get first-hand knowledge, which otherwise is nearly an impossible proposition.
This multinational naval exercise has grown into a remarkable symbol of pursuing shared aspiration for peace in the world’s oceans.
Starting with just 23 participants in 2007, the Exercise continued to grow in number of participating nations and objectives. Aman 2023 saw 50 nations and this time around the tally is expected to go beyond 60.Besides naval drills, the intellectual part of Aman, the International Maritime Conference was a crucial constituent of it, where sharing of ideas on achieving harmony at seas has been the pinnacle of the discourses.
For the next edition of the Exercise, the Conference has been changed into a Dialogue, affording practitioners to present their views on securing seas for a prosperous future. But what would these numbers mean and why does it matter?
Well, it singles out one thing very clearly: despite its modest size, Pakistan navy has been able to send across the message of Pakistan’s relevance in the regional settings while attracting others to converge onto inclusion over exclusion, multilateralism over unilateralism and consensus over exceptionalism.
Exercise Aman that principally focuses on ‘understanding each other’ and thereby making space for cooperating at seas, also takes note of the change that is occurring fast and, to some degree, is unpredictable.
The change in technology, operational concepts and tactics often encourages the navies to cooperate even more and beyond traditional conception of national security. To create a ‘harmony in change,’ this edition of Aman Dialogue particularly pays substantial attention to technological innovation in the maritime domain with exclusive focus on unmanned systems and the artificial intelligence.
The key issue that how will these new domains impact interoperability and togetherness at sea is expected to be brought into light further.
As Exercise Aman continues to grow, its potential to shape the future of maritime security becomes even more apparent. To sustain its momentum, participating nations could ensure that the lessons learned during the exercise are translated into actionable practices.
Enhanced coordination among naval forces, improved information-sharing mechanisms and the establishment of collective response frameworks are just some of the ways to build on Aman’s success.
The inclusion of non-traditional stakeholders, such as UNODC, UKMTO etc., will add new dimensions to the exercise. Issues like ocean pollution, sustainable fisheries and the blue economy are increasingly central to maritime discussions and require holistic solutions.
In a time of uncertainty and division, the message of Exercise Aman is clear: the oceans are vast, but the bridges we build across them can bring us closer towards enduring peace and harmony.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
The writer is an Islamabad-based researcher with interests in maritime security, climate change and astropolitics. He can be reached at [email protected]
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