Maritime security in South Pacific

Maritime security in South Pacific

By David Raja Marpaung S.IP M.Def

1.    Introduction

            The South Pacific countries are geographically isolated and sparsely populated; they cover more than 30 million square kilometres, but occupy less than two percent of that area. Each of these countries has its own political, economic and social structures, often incorporating different, languages, beliefs, values and practice, as well as different levels of wealth and development. Twenty percent of the world’s languages and cultures exist in the Pacific Islands, but only one per cent of the world’s population It is broadly made up of the nations and territories which comprise the sub-regional groupings of Melanesia, Polynesia and Australasia[1].

            South Pacific consists of 22 political entities of the Pacific Community with Australia and New Zealand. They are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Island, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna[2]

South pacific also is very interesting region in the world.  It consists of hundred islands and few big powers present at there, such as USA, France, UK and others. To define the south pacific region is to point the importance of political status in determining of political stability. The external states guarantee the security and stability of their territories and subsidy them generously.

            Here are the members of south pacific community:

                                                                       

Table 1

                                                Political Entities in South Pacific

Island	Political Entities
American Samoa	USA territory
Cook Islands	Free association with NZ
Federates States of Micronesia	Free association with USA
Fiji	Independent
French Polynesia	Overseas Territory of France
Guam	USA Territory
Kiribati	Independent
Marshall Islands	Free association with USA
Nauru	Independent
New Caledonia	Overseas Territory of France
Niue	Self Governing in Free association with NZ
Northern Mariana Islands	Commonwealth of the USA
Palau	Free association with USA
Papua New Guinea	Independent
Pitcairn Islands	Dependency of the UK
Samoa	Independent
Solomon Islands	Independent
Tokelau	Territory of NZ
Tonga	Independent
Tuvalu	Independent
Vanuatu	Independent
Wallis and Futuna	Overseas Territory of France
Australia	Independent
New Zealand	Independent

In other hand, Pacific island community shares a comprehensive view of maritime security. This involves consideration of crime regulation and act, economic, resource and environmental security, None of the Pacific Islands Countries face threats of a military nature, although all are concerned with protecting their sovereignty and sovereign rights.

            As the Pacific Islands, sea or maritime territory becomes an important aspect. Because sea is not only the tool to connect one island to the others, but sea also can give income for the people around it. Maritime territory problem also can give impact toward national, regional, and global territory. Maritime security in South Pacific will be good support for Asia Pacific maritime security and beyond.

Till the beginning of the 90s, we were used to address maritime security, considering the only military threat, and our vital interests and territorial integrity. But after the end of Cold War, globalization has developed, as well as local crises. And globalization brought the sea being the main way of exchanging goods throughout the world.  Then maritime security operations have developed in a way to mainly face non-military threats.

A major concern for the Pacific Islands region is that organized criminals, under increasing pressure elsewhere, may move their operations to regions where they perceive a lack of deterrence capability. That happened in this region potentially disturbing the region stability and even global stability.

Maritime security in South Pacific focuses on transnational crime such as illegal movement of people and drug trafficking. Besides that, illegal fishing also become common problem. Moreover, transnational crime is susceptible to terrorist activities, so it needs attention too from international community.

In order to solve the maritime security problems in South Pacific, several big countries get involved to give the contribution.  US together with Australia, New Zealand, and France help these island nations build their maritime security.

Picture I

South Pacific Area

2. Problems

‘Transnational crime’ generally refers to any crime that crosses international borders, for example, through the occurrence of criminal activity in more than one jurisdiction or because the proceeds of the crime have moved from one jurisdiction to another[1].  South Pacific is developing a comparative advantage in illegality, a largely man-made endowment. It examines the evolution of illegal fishing, drug trafficking, ,and people-smuggling and illegal  migration in the region.

As strategies are developed to counter the threat of transnational crime, it is imperative that the fight be based not just on attacking the most visible manifestation of the problem but the larger conditions which allow these groups to operate. This will require more attention to the problem of states with a weak rule of law, lack of harmonization in regulation and the failure to have effective law enforcement cooperation across borders[2].

Base on these facts, there are a lot of threats in maritime security in South Pacific Area. This paper will explore and analyze the effort and cooperation to counter transnational crime in order to protect maritime security?

Rivalries between countries external to the South Pacific, however, on occasion do intrude and can complicate domestic politics in some jurisdictions. The presence of big powers in South Pacific also colouring the maritime security in region. How about the influence of big powers in south pacific area?

3. Framework         

            Security is one of the important issues in the world, because it needed for development. Beside of that, security also becomes the right for human. There are several definitions of security. One come from Arnold Wolfers who said security is any objective sense, measures the absence of threats to acquire values, in a subjective sense, the absence of fear that such values will be attacked.[3]

The traditional view identifies military security at the level of the state as being central to security studies. It is a narrow conception which sees military conflict as the defining key to security and it was common during the Cold War when issues of high politics dominated national security agendas.[4]

The non-traditional view identifies a range of issues at various levels as being security issues and therefore central to security studies. It is a wide conception which sees issues such as the environment, the management of scarce resources, population growth, disease, transnational organised crime and economic recession as security issues. Originally, these issues were considered low politics, but they rose to prominence on national security agendas during the 1980s and 1990s.[5] Because of the wider field, security becomes more prominent issue.

To solve the security problem, need to understand the condition and the threat. Five dimension analyze from Barry Buzan can be used in order to understand how does the South Pacific solve their maritime security problems.

Barry Buzan argues that the term security consists of five dimensions:[6]

l  Military dimensions: involves the military capability/military build up of one state both conventional and non-conventional, military ideology, personnel etc.

l  Political dimensions: Involves the efforts to preserve political process, political system, and state’s ideology.

l  Economic dimension determines access to resources, market, finances and provide the decisive basis for political influence and military power.

l  Societal dimension including cultural values is less tangible but no less significant for security. It provides the atmosphere in which the values will affect the behavior of one state in the international system.

l  Environmental dimension concerns the maintenance of the planetary biosphere as the essential support system on which all other human enterprises demand.

To keep the existence of its nation state in the middle of threats, need to know well about internal and external condition. Analyzing from those conditions will make easier the arrangement of proper strategy for South Pacific. Internal and external conditions could be analyzed by using SWOT.

SWOT technique was introduced for the first time by Albert Humphrey who leads research project in Stanford University in 1960 and 1970. SWOT is an acronym for strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat. Strength is positive tangible and intangible attributes which included internal factor. Weakness means factors that are within an organization’s control that detract from its ability to attain the desired goal. Opportunity is External attractive factors that represent the reason for an organization to exist and develop. Threat is external factors, beyond an organization’s control, which could place the organization mission or operation at risk. The organization may benefit by having contingency plans to address them if they should occur.[7]

After make list of strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat, need to make SWOT matrix in order to know about the correct strategy that may to be taken. There are 4 alternatives of strategy as the result of the matrix. They are SO, WO, ST, and WT.[8]

SWOT Matrix Form

External Internal	Opportunity	Threat
Strength	SO Strategies	ST Strategies
Weakness	WO Strategies	WT Strategies

SO strategy: This is a profitable situation because organization has opportunity and strength to be maximized.

ST strategy: In this situation, organization faces several threats but it remains have internal strength.

WO strategy: in this condition, organization facing big opportunity but also faces some internal weakness.

WT strategies: this is a disadvantage situation because organization has several internal threats and weakness.

Conflict of interest between states will be happen in multilateral cooperation, and influence security condition.  Each country is struggling to achieve their nation interest, and try to dominate the other.  Power Matrix analyse the capability of state or region to defend against threat, and the level of external security threat.

If the presence of external threat relative high, but capacity to defend also high, then will create balance of power. But, if the threat level is low, it will create hegemony cooperation.

Insecurity will be happen if capacity to defend is low, but the threat is high. The last, isolated small state is happen when the capacity to defend and threat level is low

4. Analysis

Maritime security problems not only faced and become responsibility of one country. Because maritime security often linkage with transnational crime, which involved more than one country. Moreover what happened in one country could give effect to the other. In the case of maritime security problem in South Pacific, the level of analysis will help us to understand well, how far the problem threat.

Level of analysis	Non-military Security				Military Security
	Political	Economical	Social	Environmental
					Military
Individual	X	V	V	X	x
National	V	V	V	V	v
Regional	V	V	V	V	v
International	V	V	V	V	v

Political Dimension

Maritime security problem can threat politically. Internal violence happens in several entities in South Pacific. If maritime security in unsecure condition, it makes weapon smuggling massively. The illegal weapon can support the riot in one country. Directly or indirectly, internal violence which happens in one country can give effect to the others. It can increase conflict escalation, and further decrease national stability.

For example ethnic conflict which happened in late 1990s in Solomon Islands. The villagers on Guadalcanal who felt they were not benefiting from the economic development of the capital, Honiara, attacked and drove out several thousand people from the neighboring island of Malaita over a period of months.[1] It raises the tension in the regional level.

Traditionally, South Pacific has been considered a safe haven for cruising boats. In recent years a number of incidents have been reported in the area. A small number of these are pirate attacks, where one vessel hijacks another in high seas or coastal waters, while the majority is robberies and armed robberies. If compared with other sub region like South East Asia and South Asia, only small number incident which happen on the sea territory of South Pacific. But it is still an issue in certain parts of the Asia Pacific.

Pirates activity appears because lack of law enforcement. Corruptions in every level of governments give impact and also become the impact of the piracy on the sea. And corruption is a continuing problem, with political leaders often claiming traditional leadership status should exempt them from normal rules on accepting gifts, distributing government funds to their political supporters, or even facing scrutiny on these matters.

South Pacific also known as heaven for transnational crime because decreasing of drug smuggling and arm smuggling. Drug smuggling is rise in Samoa massively. There is a route of drug smuggling in South Pacific. Increasing transnational activities shows that government has less attention to that issue. It contributes to political instability.

Political instability in one country could impact the regional and also international stability.

Economical Dimension

Most of countries in the South Pacific region are developing country. Only Australia and New Zealand which categorized as developed countries. Island states are heavily aid dependent. This creates issues with donor nations, such as Australia, New Zealand, France, and USA. Besides bilateral aid, some multinational organizations such as United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Asia Development Bank (ADB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank (WB) also give some aid. Foreign aid takes a part in the development process of South Pacific states.

Regional economic growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. Growth averaged 2.8 percent between 2005 and 2007. Opportunities to work abroad are unevenly spread across the Pacific, but remittances have grown dramatically, with annual average growth of 36 percent from 2000 to reach US$ 425 million in 2005. Most countries are showing good macroeconomic management, but microeconomic performance is mixed.[2]

The GDP increasing in the Pacific in the nineties was at around the rate of population growth, which is 2 to 3 percent per year. After negligible growth in the early years of this decade, growth increased to 3.5 percent in 2004. And growth averaged 2.8 percent between 2005 and 2007.[3] If compared with economic growth in Caribbean and Sub Saharan, Pacific Islands still left behind by progress.

As the maritime region, fishing is an important activity to support life of Pacific people. Fishing becomes a source of government revenue, employment, and export earnings. Half of more than two millions of tuna are caught annually in Pacific tuna fisheries, with a landed value in excess of US$ 3 billion.[4] Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is very serious issue. Actually there are no statistics on global IUU fishing in South Pacific. But if it happens continuously, it must be make countries which depend on fisheries, such as Kiribati, suffer financial loss.

Related with piracy on the sea, it is very bad for business. It gives unimportant added cost for the shipping company, quay facility, producer, distributor, retailer, and customer. Ships which face piracy will be have high cost insurance because the owners loss their ship content because of piracy and should pay higher insurance cost. Moreover the seller should compete with the pirate which sells goods in black market.

High cost economy because of piracy will be obstacle for investment. Unpredictable situation make investor have no willingness to invest. It cause unstable economic condition not only in one state, but also in regional level, and further in international scope.

Social Dimension

Weapon smuggling which happen massively trigger increasing number of people who keep and get access on the weapon. Weapon is not new one tool and the people who use it are increase. The using of weapon can be social culture so it makes conflict getting warm easily.

Social illness also rises because of drug smuggling. People can find prohibited drug easily, so it dangers young generation. Beside of that the number of people with the HIV/AIDS also potentially increases. The risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is higher for seafarers than for many other community groups as a result of patterns of sexual behaviour common among seafarers. When these seafarers return home, their wives and other sexual partners are at high risk of also contracting STIs.[5]

Transnational crime in several forms is increase and spread in more political entities. It means that criminal number also getting higher and often horrific. For instance, weapon smuggling is high in Papua New Guinea. It contributes the higher crime rates in that country, mainly in urban area Port Moresby, Lea, Goroka, and Mount Hagen. Maritime security problem will trigger regional and furthermore global social illness.

Environmental Dimension

Illegal fishing and pirate fishing as one form of maritime security problem usually catch fishes without regard the rule and environment, shortly, they do destructive activities. IUU fishing leaves communities without much needed food and income and the marine environment smashed and empty. It is disturbingly easy to become a fishing pirate and even easier to evade capture.

It is more than an issue of theft. Environmental destruction goes hand in hand with pirate fishing. Because they operate, quite literally, off the radar of any enforcement, the fishing techniques they use are destroying ocean life.

Sometime many ships use long lines baited with thousand hooks lined up in a row and pulled behind the boat. Anything that sees the bait as food is caught. It can catch young fish until big ocean creatures like shark and whale. It is a natural threat for national, regional, and global scope. If this activity did not stop, the natural balancing will be disturbed. Some ocean creatures will be disappearing.

Military Dimension

Traditionally, maritime security problem is viewed from military dimension. Maritime threat usually will be countered by military. That is why maritime states try to strengthen their naval forces.

Transnational crimes in all forms, piracy, and maritime terrorism are threats for military. It is not only become threat and responsibility to overcome for one nation but also the region and global actors. The build of military dimension may establish by 4 other dimensions.

 

The five dimensions in related one to each others. If one dimension is threatened so the other dimensions also disturbed. For example, political threat is linkage with the economical threat. Political instability triggered economic instability. In other hand, to build social stability need to stabilize the other dimension.

Relations between the dimensions will be rotate and influence one to each other. It may influence the level of analysis, can be individual, nation, regional, or global.

SWOT Analysis

Strength

·         South Pacific is rich of natural resources.

The region is dependent on primary resource extraction for economic development, which are mining, farming, forestry and fishing. 60 Percents of inhabitant from Fiji, Cook Island, Solomon Island, Tonga, Vanuatu, Western Samoa and Papua New Guinea dependent their life to these sectors.  In Papua New Guinea, gold and copper are the main mining. Then nickel can be found in New Caledonia, Fiji, and Solomon Island.

The islanders also develop manufacture industry, mainly in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. International trade also becomes the activity which can support the national income. Most countries export their natural produce like gold, coffee, cocoa, copper, oil palm, forest crop, and some products from coconut. The destination of the export activities are European Union, USA, Japan, and Australia that give financial aid for the islander as the mutual cooperation.[6]

·         Comprises a lot of nation states

In South Pacific there are 22 political entities. Although most of them is small with rare population, but South Pacific regions have important role. Each of South Pacific island nations has a vote at the United Nations because they are members. So this region will not be leaved by the other country in the different region.

Weakness

·         Destabilize political condition

Some countries in the South Pacific region have experience on destabilize political condition. For mention is Fiji. It has military coup history. Ethnic conflict had happened in Solomon. Then people in Tonga remain struggle for democracy. This condition makes the region also instable in many aspects. It is worsening with the corruption in the government.

·         Very dependent to the other country

From the 22 political entities in the South Pacific only nine which are independent states. Eight political entities are overseas territory of one kind or another belonging to external states. Guam, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa are belonging to the USA. New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis & Futuna are belonging to French. Tokelau is belonging to New Zealand, and Pitcairn is belonging to UK.  Palau, The Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Island enjoy free association status with USA. The Cook Island and Niue have free association status with New Zealand. Developed country play important role in order to give subsidy and take care the stability. It makes this region very dependent on developed country.

Opportunity

·         Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

EEZ increasing the ocean territory up to 200 nautical miles so enabling the South Pacific countries can conduct ocean defence system as the protection layer. It makes enemy ship difficult to attack until land territory.

Water territory can be used as the relationship tool with the other countries regionally or internationally. It implicates toward a country to have role and influence in the international relation. EEZ also give authority for absolute control or command of the sea so the countries freedom to use the sea without intervention from another actor.

·         Geographical Position

South Pacific which contains of some islands that surrounded by ocean make them has wider ocean territory. This condition potentially make this sub region has sea force for projection their power through the sea so they can be important actors in international relationship.

·         Regional Cooperation

There are several regional organizations in South Pacific. There are eight primary regional organizations, which are the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP), the South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission (SOPAC), the University of the Pacific (USP), the South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO), and the Pacific Island Development Program (PIDP).

With that several cooperation, it facilitates them to solve their regional problems easier. There are intense communications on the specific issue to overcome the maritime problem. For example, Pacific Community and South Pacific Forum also give attention to the maritime security problem. So regional cooperation which was built gives support to each other in the real activity. This gives opportunity for them to manage maritime security better.

Threat

Drug trafficking, production, and use
The Pacific is no stranger to illicit drugs. The region has long been a transit point for drug shipments destined for markets in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Examples include cocaine-stuffed Tongan yams bound for New Zealand, and heroin-filled pineapple tins sent from Asia to the Cook Islands for reshipping. In 2004, Islands Business reported that a ‘50 kilo packet of cocaine found floating in a Kiribati lagoon was thought to be washing powder and used for laundry purposes at US$50,000 a kilo[7].

What has changed is the size of drug shipments. In 2000, police seized 357 kg of heroin from a Suva warehouse. At the time, it was the fifth-largest shipment ever found outside heroin-producing countries. Until then, the head of the Fiji drug squad had never seen heroin. Four years later, 120 kg of heroin was found buried on a beach in Vanuatu less than half an hour from the capital, Port Vila—the biggest seizure in its history. This haul was linked to Chinese nationals behind the 2000 bust in Fiji. Large shipments of cocaine have also been seized in Tonga (2001) and Samoa (2006)[8]. Their very size indicates they were destined for bigger markets such as Australia.  
Pacific islands are used as a transit point between source countries—East Asia for ice and heroin, and South America for cocaine—and markets in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Routing drugs through the Pacific disguises the origin of shipments. As shipping routes in other parts of the world come under increased surveillance, the region also becomes a more attractive alternative route. Some five thousand vessels cross the region on any given day. Large shipments can be transferred from a mother ship into smaller boats that speed to isolated atolls to await transit to the next destination[9].

Illegal migration and people-smuggling
Criminal activities are linked. It is thought that Chinese gang members were sent to the Pacific up to a decade ago, with islands such as Fiji and Tonga providing operational bases from which to expand[1].Gangs originally viewed the region as a back door to American drug markets via Palau, Micronesia, and Guam in the north, and Fiji, Tonga, and American Samoa in the south. (American Samoa and Guam are US territories with easy access to the US mainland)[2]. Drug trafficking routes were then used for illegal migration, so that Chinese organised crime island-hopped across the region. Some illegal migrants work in black labour markets, mainly in prostitution and illegal gambling. Others establish small businesses that often act as fronts for crime.

The illegal population in the South Pacific is conservatively estimated at twenty thousand. Southern China is the main source of illegal migrants, with some seven thousand arriving in Fiji between 2003 and 2005 alone, and ten thousand arriving in Papua New Guinea since 2003. Many simply overstay student, visitor, or business visas by disappearing into established networks. Others use false or altered passports and visas to gain entry[3]. Some buy citizenship not long after arriving, by bribing officials to overlook long-term residency requirements. They then pressure officials to admit more migrants. Their ultimate destination is often Australia.

Illegal migration, including human trafficking, occurs in the Pacific as well as the use of pleasure craft to circumvent border control. Instances of people smuggling in the region have increased: its been estimated that the illegal migrant population in the region (excluding Australia and NZ) was approximately 4,500 in 2003 and 9,000 in 2004. The majority are Chinese nationals using states such as Palau and Fiji as transit points for other destinations.

IUU fishing

With the decline in fish stocks around the world, fisheries protection and law enforcement have become major tasks for maritime security forces. For the PICs, it’s the principal task for their small sea patrol forces. Illegal fishing is the main transnational crime at sea in the region. Rather than the lack of a license to fish, illegal fishing in the region is now more a matter of breaches of licensing agreements, such as the unreported transfer of fish catch at sea and under-reported catches. The economic loss to the PICs as a consequence of IUU fishing is estimated by the FFA to be about $400 million per annum. There is evidence of a significant increase in illegal fishing ranging throughout the central Pacific through French Polynesia, Cook Islands and Kiribati. The majority of reports concern large purse seiners flagged to Latin American countries. Some are licensed to fish in Kiribati’s EEZ. These vessels normally operate in the eastern Pacific, but as fishing conditions for tuna in that region are now depressed there, these vessels are moving west.

Foreign fishing vessels are becoming cleverer at avoiding arrest, and based on the Australian experience, may also be becoming more prepared to use violence against boarding parties. It’s very difficult to catch fishing vessels doing something illegal when they get ‘smart’: using diversionary tactics,

monitoring patrol boat movements and listening in on patrol boat communications. Fishing licensing and enforcement is also a major area of corruption in the region, with fisheries officers open to bribes for the issue of licenses or to secure the release of arrested vessels

These are indiscriminate fishing methods that can have devastating impacts on marine species and habitats.[4] It puts unsustainable pressure on fish stocks, marine wildlife and habitats, subverts labour standards and distorts markets. It may damage fragile marine ecosystems and vulnerable species such as coral reefs, turtles and seabirds.

In the SWOT matrix, we give biggest score for strength and opportunity dimensions so we establish SO strategy. It means that the organization has big opportunity to develop and show its existence. In other hand the organization have internal strength which potentially can support the opportunity.

This strategy can be established by regional organization. There are several regional organizations in South Pacific; one of them is Pacific Community. In order to keep maritime security, Pacific Community has regional maritime program. It is part of the Marine Resources Division, which also includes the Coastal Fisheries Program and the Oceanic Fisheries Program.

Pacific Community understands well about the importance of Pacific region, that is why they give attention to the maritime security issue in South Pacific as the sub region of Asia Pacific. Traditionally, Pacific water becomes an important way for trade and ship traffic. As we know most international trade and commerce are conducted by sea and most goods reach regional and national markets by sea transport.

Moreover most Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) rely on the sea for sustenance fisheries, coastal transportation and employment in shipping or on fishing vessels. Pacific Community has willingness to maximize the internal strength that they have. Because they realize that in small or big number, maritime sector has give economical contribution for the people and state.

In order to give contribution in the building of maritime security regime, Pacific Community through Regional Maritime Program try to strengthen human resource capacity, establish strong professional networks in the Pacific maritime sector, and gain national, regional and international recognition of Pacific maritime needs and priorities.[5]

6. Cooperation against Threat

The PTCCC Role

The AFP has built a regional network, establishing Transnational Crime Units in member states of the Pacific Islands Forum, coordinated since June 2004 by the Pacific Transnational Crime Co-ordination Centre (PTCCC). The PTCCC was originally located in Suva (Fiji) but moved to Apia (Samoa) in 2008, after the December 2006 military coup in Fiji led to deterioration in regional relations.[6]

The PTCCC roles are:

To provide a proactive transnational criminal intelligence capability to Pacific Region Law Enforcement Agencies. Management and coordination of intelligence generated by TCU Unit

To facilitate and enhance the exchange of law enforcement intelligence throughout the Pacific Region. Engagement with broader Pacific Law Enforcement Agencies-Customs, Immigration & Police

Objectives & Function

Provide capacity building and professional development for PTCCC team member

Monitoring TCU Unit. Response capacity to support TCU’s with additional staff. The PTCCC will coordinate, facilitate and action requests for information from all Pacific Region Law Enforcement Agencies; Coordinate multi-agency regional intelligence collection and regional investigations

IUU fishing

The regional regime for the prevention of illegal fishing activities has in the past

been the responsibility of the Forum Fisheries Agency.  The FFA has broadened its focus in recent times and recognizes it has a wider role to play in maritime security and in working with other agencies to provide maritime security in the region.

The vessel monitoring system (VMS) established by the FFA is an important capability for regional maritime security. Licensed fishing vessels are fitted with an

Automatic Location Communicator (ALC), which sends a signal (via satellite) to FFA

Any foreign fishing vessel that wishes to apply for a licence to fish in waters of an FFA member country must first be registered on the VMS Register of Foreign Fishing Vessels maintained by the FFA. VMS data belongs to the individual PIC, but sharing data is now becoming common. The US and France have been seeking data access arrangements. So far the distant water fishing nations have not expressed concern about VMS data being used for wider security purposes.

Regional Maritime Program

The Regional Maritime Programme (RMP) works with the maritime sector of countries and territories to review and update maritime legislation and facilitate training to ensure that all seafarers meet required qualifications and standards. Under the transport security component of the Australian Government’s Regional Counter Terrorism Strategy, $4.7 million will be spent over the next four years to expand Australia’s role in providing transport security assistance in the Asia–Pacific region. and protective security activities.

Vehicle Support

The PICs response capability is mainly provided by the patrol boats supplied by

Australia  Twenty-two boats have now been donated by Australia to twelve recipient countries. These vessels have a length of 31.5 metres, a top speed of 21 knots, a range of 2,500 miles (at 12 knots and nil fuel remaining) and a complement of 17.

The project involves not just the boats, but training for the crews, naval advisers

posted to each recipient country, and through-life logistic and technical support through the Follow-On Support Agency.3 The naval advisers usually comprise one officer with patrol boat experience as Maritime Surveillance Adviser, and one or two senior sailors with marine engineering or electrical specialisations as Technical Advisers. The provision of these in-country advisers has brought extra benefits to Australia with regard to their influence at the local level. For most countries, Australia provides additional funds to cover some of the costs of operating

7. Involvement of other countries

United States

The United States is a key stakeholder in maritime security in the Pacific through the

Territory of Guam, its Territory of American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the

Northern Marianas and its Compacts of Free Association with the former US Trust Territories of Micronesia: Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Marshall Islands. The existing Compacts of Free Association between the US and the Micronesian countries cover defence and foreign policy but are worded in pre 9/11 terminology and do not reflect current security concerns and broader homeland

security considerations. After some years of relatively low involvement in maritime security for the PICs, the US has recently increased its level of assistance.

The US Navy and US Coast Guard (USCG) have provided assistance with air surveillance and occasional visits by USCG cutters have provided the opportunity for training assistance to local maritime security forces. There has been a much higher rate of effort from the USCG over the past year in Micronesia with cutters in the region embarking authorised fisheries offices from Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands and Kiribati and with more aerial surveillance[1].

The Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West), based in Hawaii, plays an important role in fostering intelligence collection special report and maritime security cooperation in the Pacific. While its primary role is countering drug-related transnational threats, JIAFT West is closely aligned with US Pacific Command’s Theater Security Cooperation, War on Terrorism, and Maritime Security priorities in planning, developing and implementing counter-drug programs in Asia and the Pacific. It provides US and foreign law enforcement with fused inter-agency information and intelligence analysis, and with counter-drug training and infrastructure development support. The JIATF West staff comprises members of all five military services, as well as representatives from the national intelligence community and US federal law enforcement agencies. The AFP works closely with the JIATF West both directly and through the PTCN.

France

France has the overseas collectivises of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna. The French Navy provides some air surveillance support, especially to Vanuatu and in the southern Solomon, around French Polynesia and a small effort in the Cook Islands. The French navy has a couple of deployments each year from their tier two ships staying within a 1500NM radius (approx) of their operating bases. They also have some larger frigates that deploy into Asia, that spend some time working with the PICs. The French are keen to participate more actively in maritime surveillance, but they have no deployed liaison officers. Trying to engage within the Pacific from offices in New Caledonia or Tahiti has sometimes proved difficult. The only operational link they have in the region is one to one with FFA’s surveillance operations officer. Every few years the French run an exercise that has amphibious and airborne elements that some PICs attend. There is no ‘working level’ plan integrating French, Australian and New Zealand surveillance efforts.

China

China is becoming much more actively involved in the PICs, particularly in the two

largest regional countries, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. It has wiped out all PIC debt of about US$700 million over three years and built facilities in Tonga for the Forum Leaders’ meeting in October 2007. While much of this activity is ‘cheque book’ diplomacy to counter Taiwanese influence, China does have growing commercial interests in the region, particularly in the fishing industry. China is a contributor to the WCPFC. Their only blue water naval engagement in the region seems to be national defence-related such as the deployment of a satellite-tracking ship to Fiji and down-range of US facilities.

Japan

Japan is one country with a major stake in the region but so far has not been involved in cooperative arrangements to any great extent despite having significant skills and resources to assist in capacity building for regional maritime security. Largely through the Japan Coast Guard, Japan has been very active in Southeast Asia in assisting to build the capacity of countries in that region to deal with piracy and the threat of maritime terrorism. It may be possible to get Japan involved in a similar way in the Pacific islands region.

Taiwan

Taiwan has diplomatic relations with Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. Taiwan holds regular regional naval visits to those recognizing it (two frigate/destroyer size vessels and one replenishment vessel). They have had coastguard-type vessels apparently on patrol from time to time in the EEZs of some of the Micronesian states. In recent times there has Australia and the South Pacific: Rising to the challenge been various Taiwanese efforts to try to link themselves to the Australian PPB project, through funding maintenance activities such as slipping, infrastructure development, and maritime law enforcement training. This might precipitate a significantly negative and tangible response from China concerned about the establishment of Taiwanese naval relations with the South Pacific. This would raise the prospects of blue water competition in the region, a competition Taiwan will inevitably lose and which will not leave the region safer.

9. Analysis Relation between Countries

Australia and New Zealand play the main role in south pacific multilateral cooperation. They have the biggest GDP than others, and give support to another countries cooperation, such as PTCCC that initiated by them. So, at intra south pacific cooperation that created hegemony by Australia to other countries.

But when we looking the presence of big powers in SP, the relation tend to balance of power. However, big countries such as France, USA have long colonial history at the region. But the SP right now also trying to independent, and strengthening their  regional cooperation.

However when we look the relation of each countries in the pacific island they very dependent. Because of them can be surviving by depending from aid of super power such as American Samoa, Marshall Island, Palau and others. The relation become small states dominated by big powers, and created insecurity or vulnerability. Because the small countries may collapse if big power stopping their aid

10. Conclusion/Recommendation

PTCCC should broadening its function, not just as sharing in information and intelligence, but also regional act and arrest right

South Pacific Countries should establish strong Regional Maritime Coordination Centre (RMCC) to collect, fuse and analyze all sources of data; manage and schedule regional air and surface assets; receive bids for surveillance time from regional countries; provide recommendations for action to individual countries; coordinate response from regional or national assets; coordinate funding from aid donors plus national contributions; liaise with national ‘points of contact’.

Coastal Patrol Vessels (CPVs) would be operated by the PICs at a national level. Two

or more might be required by PICs with larger exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and they would be strategically based around the islands. Their role would not be to undertake patrols as such, but to respond to particular incidents as reported through the RMCC.

Australia should consider giving more support through AusAID to support development of maritime security system in south pacific region

There should be more balances of power in south pacific area, so the capability of each country to counter threat or transnational crime becomes better.

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