Strategic Security @100 – A New Perspective Based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework for the Tropical Waters of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Space
Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das
Director and Founder of MRC, Pune
Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das
Director and Founder of MRC, Pune
Key Highlights
- The specific and specialized technology required for deep sea mining and the added sustainability concerns can only be addressed with enhanced Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA).
- The acoustic survey being the only means for UDA, requires specialized acoustic capacity and capability building.
- The primary threat and the resources are underwater and if we do not build significant acoustic capacity & capability to achieve effective UDA, we will never be able to attain strategic autonomy for ourselves.
- The digital transformation driven by the UDA framework will be the way forward for effective governance of the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific strategic space.
- Strategic Security@100 has to make sure we have been able to put in place a safe, secure, sustainable growth model for all in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific strategic space.
Background
The Indo-Pacific region is gaining strategic relevance for varied reasons. The strategic trade route passing through the region makes it extremely sensitive from an economic standpoint. The energy resource movement from the middle east to the far east has significant strategic value. The raw material travels from the African coast to the far east and the return journey of finished goods further makes it a critical trade route. The political volatility in the region makes it a fertile ground for the extra-regional powers to meddle in the domestic politics. The non-state actors are operating freely and multiple states are using the non-state actors as the regular instrument of state diplomacy to export terror. The fragmented geopolitics of the region ensures no long-term regional consolidation takes place. The global thrust on sustainability and climate change risk management is another tool for the west to drive their agenda in the region and forever keep the local powers under their dominance. The Electric Vehicle (EV) drive requires a massive amount of rare earth material, which can only be replenished from the deep oceans to meet the targeted demand. The specific and specialized technology required for deep sea mining and the added sustainability concerns can only be addressed with enhanced Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA). The post pandemic era and the Russia-Ukraine war has added to the food security concerns for a large majority of the developing world. The oceans and the freshwater systems are a great source of food and we need to increasingly look towards the underwater domain to ensure no one remains hungry. The nutrient value of seafood is undoubtedly very high and has significant potential to address the universal food security concern.
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Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das
Director and Founder of MRC, Pune
Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das, Director and Founder of MRC, Pune. Dr Das is an ex Naval officer with 2 decades of active services and PhD holder from IIT Delhi with specialization in Underwater Acoustics. He has worked on several projects and has a plethora of publications to his credit.
Dr. (Cdr.) Arnab Das
Director and Founder of MRC, Pune
Dr (Cdr) Arnab Das, Director and Founder of MRC, Pune. Dr Das is an ex Naval officer with 2 decades of active services and PhD holder from IIT Delhi with specialization in Underwater Acoustics. He has worked on several projects and has a plethora of publications to his credit.