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Vice Admiral Robert L. Thomas Jr., Director of Navy Staff at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, will deliver the keynote address at the Maritime Awareness Project launch event.

Sasakawa USA and The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) launched the Maritime Awareness Project (MAP), a new joint initiative to assist policymakers, the press, and interested public in better understanding critical maritime problems and possible routes to their peaceful resolution. MAP features a unique, interactive website encompassing key data at the heart of ongoing maritime disputes as well as related maritime issues. In addition, a group of the world’s top experts on maritime affairs serve as contributors to an ongoing series of analytical papers, online discussions, and MAP seminars and conferences.

This event featured a timely, high-level discussion on competing sovereignty claims in the South China Sea as well as on broader security concerns in the maritime domain. Leading maritime experts discussed the complex economic, political, and military stakes affected by the South China Sea disputes. They examined how the dispute will have implications across the maritime domain and offered suggestions on possible ways to mitigate tensions and move toward resolution.

The disputed waters of the South China Sea are a vital artery for regional trade. Long a fishing ground for seafarers along its rim and containing fields of hydrocarbon reserves, the sea is also an important resource base for claimant states. Resolution of competing claims and agreement on acceptable activities in surrounding exclusive economic zones remains elusive. Broader competition among regional powers and modernization of regional countries’ navies and coast guard capabilities put additional stress on an already volatile situation. The United States has made clear its interest in maintaining freedom of navigation throughout the world, and finds itself increasingly under pressure by other states—especially those with interests in the South China Sea—to uphold that commitment.

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Agenda

1:00-1:45 p.m. | Introduction
1:45-3:00 p.m. | Panel: Understanding the Complexities of the South China Sea Dispute
3:15-4:30 p.m. | Panel: Traditional and Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the Maritime Domain
4:30-4:45 p.m. | Keynote Address: Vice Admiral Robert L. Thomas Jr., Director, Navy Staff, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
4:45-5:00 p.m. | Conclusion
5:00-6:30 p.m. | Reception

Speakers

• Rommel Banlaoi, Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research
• Dennis Blair, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
• Ja Ian Chong, National University of Singapore
• Richard J. Ellings, The National Bureau of Asian Research
• Taylor Fravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Mikkal Herberg, The National Bureau of Asian Research
• Jeffrey Hornung, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA
• Nong Hong, Institute for China-America Studies
• Karolos J. Karnikis, The National Bureau of Asian Research
• Tiffany Ma, The National Bureau of Asian Research
• Shafiah F. Muhibat, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
• Tabitha Mallory, The National Bureau of Asian Research
• Justin Nankivell, Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
• Ian J. Storey, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute