NAVIES, COAST GUARDS, THE MARITIME COMMUNITY AND INTERNATIONAL STABILITY

Abstract

The maritime security environment in East Asia is a policy priority for both private and state actors. The strategic and economic importance of the sea ensures that its stability is of primary concern. Yet competing visions of how stability should be achieved and what a new ‘status-quo’ looks like has created uncertainty and competition. Naval forces in the region are growing as littoral states seek to ensure their interests at sea are met. Concurrently, many of the same states have looked to maritime law enforcement agencies to supplement their maritime security capabilities. Through cases studies of littoral states in Asia and beyond this policy brief examines how states in the region have integrated maritime law enforcement agencies into their existing maritime security architecture and how successful these efforts have been. This Policy Brief also determines how maritime stability is impacted by these developments and how it can be maintained in this hybrid maritime operating environment