Asean naval task force eyed

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy pushed for the creation of a naval task force in Southeast Asia to enforce “shared ocean governance” and to enhance maritime domain awareness during last week’s meeting of the region’s navy chiefs in Cambodia.

Navy chiefs from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) convened in Cambodia from Nov. 25 to 28, with this year’s theme: “Enhancing Cooperation for Sustainable Security at Sea.”

The Asean Navy chiefs meeting was chaired by concurrent Royal Cambodian Navy commander Adm. Tea Vinh.

Rear Adm. Loumer Bernabe, who led the Philippine delegation, expressed the country’s advocacy for an Asean-centered “shared ocean governance.”

Bernabe explained that such entails multisectoral cooperation, relies on common policy instruments and makes use of regional mechanisms to foster greater collaboration among Asean navies.