7th CONCLAVE OF CHIEFS
Indian Ocean Naval Symposium — Summary Record of the Conclave of Chiefs
15–16 November 2021, Paris
1.0 — Introduction
1.1 Welcome
Admiral Pierre Vandier, IONS Chairman, introduced a short video welcome message from the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Madame Florence Parly, in which she highlighted:
- our common objective to maintain the Indian Ocean as an area of peace and stability and as an area of prosperity
- Indian Ocean States are fortunate to have a forum where Navy chiefs can exchange and cooperate
- France's support for the development of European Union projects, both for the benefit of, and in collaboration with, the Indian Ocean States; and
- France is fully aware of the honour bestowed on the French Navy vide the Chairmanship of IONS and is determined to approach these two years with dynamism and humility.
1.2 Apologies
Mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic, seven members (Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania and Timor-Leste) and three observers (China, Madagascar and Russia) were not able to join the Conclave of Chiefs (CoC) in Paris. A livestreaming link was established to enable the Chiefs of Navy to watch the different exchanges.
1.3 Opening Address
Admiral Pierre Vandier welcomed all the delegations to the 7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in Paris. During his opening address he:
- thanked the Indian Navy for the genesis and founding of the IONS in 2008, which is now an essential tool to cooperate in the complex geopolitical environment of the Indian Ocean. He also thanked the Chiefs of Navies who have assumed the Chairmanship since 2008;
- emphasised his commitment to maintain and develop the dynamism of IONS;
- underlined the logic and benefit of addressing the challenge of environmental security within each of the IONS Working Groups (IWG): Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR), Maritime Security (MarSec) and Information Sharing and Interoperability (IS&I).
1.4 Agenda Summary
Vice Admiral Christophe Lucas (Admiral responsible for the international rel;:itionships of the French Navy and IONS Secretary) presented the main points of the agenda 1 here were no additional agenda items raised following his call for 'Any Other Business'.
1.5 Adoption of Agenda
2.0 — Review of Previous Minutes and Action Items
VADM Christophe Lucas recapitulated the process followed by the members' senior staff officers during the preliminary planning meeting held on the morning of 15 November 2021.
The CoC 2018 was hosted by Iran in Tehran in April 2018 and the last IONS Preparatory Workshop (IPW) was hosted by Oman in Muscat in October 2019. Because the IPW was over two years ago and was of course held before the COVID-19 pandemic, inevitably a few of the various Resolutions had become time-expired or had been overtaken by events.
To ensure that the consideration of the Conclave 2021 was not wasted on out-of-date issues, France announced at the IONS Seminar in La Reunion the intention to hold an extraordinary planning meeting of members immediately before the 7th Conclave to ensure that the agenda put to the Chiefs was as contemporary as possible.
VADM Christophe Lucas again assured the members that the preliminary planning meeting was not empowered to make any substantive decisions - that being squarely the remit of the Conclave - but merely to agree on a state of agenda suitable for the Conclave to consider.
VADM Christophe Lucas then summarised the outcomes of the preliminary planning meeting's collective review of the 16 Resolutions from the Conclave 2018 in Tehran. Of them, 10 were considered as INACTIVE and six as ACTIVE. The ACTIVE Resolutions were then transferred to the appropriate area of the Conclave agenda for consideration as follows:
Item 1 — Invitation to potential Members
The IONS Secretariat (SEC) will contact 12 Indian Ocean littorals, which have not yet joined IONS, to pursue their probable applications to join=> Agenda Item 8 (Charter of Business).
Item 3 — IONS Tactical Publication (ITP)
The I.R. Iran Navy volunteered to prepare an IONS Tactical Publication (ITP), specifically in order to facilitate communication of members at sea, especially while conducting joint maritime exercises and operations => Agenda Item 5 (IWG Marsec report).
Item 4 — IONS MarSec Guidelines
In order to conduct an executive antipiracy exercise in 2019, Iran volunteered to prepare the required guideline and directive - to be distributed among members in due time => Agenda Item 5 (IWG MarSec report).
Item 10 — Chairmanship — 8th IONS
The Royal Thai Navy will address the Conclave on the issue => Agenda Item 10 (Next Chairmanships).
Item 15 — IS&I IWG COMPLAN
The Royal Australian Navy accepted to prepare the COMPLAN prior to the planned IS&I IWG 2018 => Agenda Item 6 (IS&I IWG report).
Item 16 — Draft HADR Guidelines
The draft of the HADR Guideline prepared by the Indian Navy was provisionally approved for full approval after the TTX (Table Top Exercise)=> Agenda Item 4 (HADR IWG report).
3.0 — Business Arising from Previous Workshops
3.1 IONS Preparatory Workshop (IPW) 2019
VADM Christophe Lucas recalled that the last IPW was hosted by the Royal Navy of Oman and held in Muscat 14-15 October 2019.
In exactly the same process as the one taken for the Resolutions of the Conclave 2018, the 15 Resolutions of the IPW 2019 were also reviewed in the Monday morning preliminary planning meeting, where three were assessed as INACTIVE and 12 as ACTIVE and transferred to Conclave agenda as follows:
Resolution 2 — All members and observers to review the draft ITP and give comments if any, which is to be approved in the next Coe => Agenda Item 5 (IWG Marsec report) and Agenda Item 9.3 (IONS publications).
Resolution 4 — Maritime Security IWG Guide to be discussed in CoC 2020 => Agenda Item 5 (IWG Marsec Report).
Resolution 5 — ITP to be used in IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX) 2020 and update any amendments before being discussed in CoC 2020 => Agenda Item 5 (Marsec IWG Report).
Resolution 7 — India is to allocate a page within the IONS Website of which IONS members could communicate (chat) if possible => Agenda Item 7 (Communications).
Resolution 8 — In spite of Terms of Reference (TOR), all IONS members are encouraged to join more than one IWG and there is no limitation regarding the number of members and observers=> Agenda item 8.0 (Charter of Business/ IONS Administrative documentation).
Resolution 9 — Amendment to Article 10.0 of Charter of Business.
10.2 The host navy would bear the cost of hospitality and in country transportation commensurate with the guidelines provided by its government and would indicate with adequate notice the scope of such facilitation.
As an alternative:
- 10.2.1 Member nations hosting an activity, may opt to provide a minimal level of hospitality.
- 10.2.2 Full details of the hospitality offered should be outlined in the administrative guidance for the activity.
=> Agenda Item 8 (IONS documentation).
Resolution 10 — When any two or more IONS member nations conduct a Passage Exercise (PASSEX), it could be conducted under IONS organisation. when an opportunity arises. Approval to be sought form IONS Secretariat at the earliest => Agenda Item 9.5 (Future IONS Exercises).
Resolution 11 — All members are to send exercise report after completion of any IONS exercises=> Agenda Item 5 (Future IONS exercises).
Resolution 12 — - IONS flag to be designed and be used by ships when conducting IONS activity. (As an agenda point) => Agenda Item 11 (Any Other Business).
Resolution 13 — Linkages of IONS with other forums (such as IORA, WPNS etc.) to be established => Agenda Item 9.6 (Establishing relationships with Similar Organisations).
Resolution 14 — IONSPHERE Magazine should receive all reports regarding the activities within IONS => Agenda Item l (Communications).
Resolution 15 — France will organise a maritime exercise by 2021 intended on HADR domain => Agenda Item 9 (9.4 IMEX 22).
3.2 IONS Operational Workshop 2020 — COVID-19 Pandemic Responses
VADM Christophe Lucas indicated that India would address that subject through its presentation at item 4.
4.0 — IONS Working Group — HADR
Note: all Conclave Resolutions defined by the three IWG, as well those established during the Conclave discussions have been collated and can be found respectively at the enclosures and in the Summary Agenda Item 12.
VADM Christophe Lucas noted that the discussion related to this agenda item also covered off the ACTIVE CoC 2018 Resolution number 16 (HADR Guidelines).
The HADR IWG Report prJsentation was delivered by the Chair of this IWG, Rear Admiral Jaswinder Singh (India), who underlined the outcomes of the following meetings:
- 3rd IWG Meeting, Visakhapatnam, 27-28 Sep 18
- 4th IWG Meeting, Mumbai, 17-19 Dec 19
- Virtual HADR Workshop, 17 Dec 20
- Virtual COVID-19 Workshop, 23 Dec 20
A focus was made in particular on the HADR Tabletop Exercise (TTX) and on the innovation identified while facing the COVID-19 crisis.
RADM Jaswinder Singh also made note of the IMEX 22 exercise, the next IWG meeting, Bangladesh willingness to co-chair and Pakistan application to join this IWG, as well as the future work plan and the possible evolutions of the IONS Website.
The HADR IWG Resolutions are at enclosure 1.
The Chair thanked India for this comprehensive report and for the solid goals achieved. He congratulated India for the initiative related to COVID-19.
The Chair also underlined that a key and immediate threat to our region in particular is the likely increase in severe climatic events associated with climate change, for which we must be prepared to render aid quickly and effectively in order to save lives. He added that IONS clearly has a role to play in our capacity to respond to such disasters.
The Chair welcomed the application for Bangladesh to step up and co-chair this IWG.
He also noted the apparent interest to perhaps expand this IWG's remit beyond HADR into Search and Rescue and even Submarine Search and Rescue.
The Chair applauded the continuing refinement of the HADR Guidelines.
In discussion about the draft HADR Guidelines proposal to establish an IONS HADR Coordination Centre (IHCC), Pakistan (Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi) expressed a different option to the idea of the IHCC being managed solely in India, preferring instead that the proposed duty could be rotated in line within the responsibility of respective IONS Chairs via the IONS Secretariat.
The Chair noted his uncertainty around this specific section of the draft HADR Guidelines (para 3.5) centred on the interim measure proposed regarding the inherent interim solution, which would defer the task to the IONS Secretariat until full operational capability of a fixed IHCC coordination centre is reached. He added that in his view this was plainly outside the current scope of the IONS Secretariat and beyond the capacity of what is essentially an administrative service provider.
India underlined that this proposed IHCC was the outcome of work jointly achieved by HADR IWG members and that Pakistan was not part of this IWG.
The Chair confirmed that, following IONS rules, the consensus was required among all IONS Members.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
5.0 — IONS Working Group — MarSec
VADM Christophe Lucas noted that the following discussion also covered off on the ACTIVE CoC 2018 Resolution numbers 3 (ITP), 4 (Marsec Guidelines), and the ACTIVE IPW 2019 Resolution numbers 2 (ITP), 4 (Marsec Guidelines), 5 (ITP) and 11 (Exercise reporting).
He then handed the floor to Captain Ramin Zibaseresht for the Iranian Chair of the Marsec IWG for the IWG Report. He underlined the importance of IONS to bring peace and security in the Indian Ocean region. He also reflected on the Resolutions of the Coe 2018 held in Teheran and on those prepared by Marsec IWG.
The MarSec IWG Resolutions are at enclosure 2. Following this presentation, the Chair thanked the IRIN for the preparation of this report and warmly welcomed Admiral Sharham Irani within the IONS Conclave community as the new Chief of the Iranian Navy.
The Chair recalled that the MarSec IWG has the largest membership of the three IWG and applauded the commitment to process improvement and collaborative engagement demonstrated continually by this IWG, in particular through the ongoing work on documents that could give solid guidance to IONS Navies when operating together.
India volunteered to co-chair the MarSec IWG.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
6.0 — IONS Working Group — IS&I
VADM Christophe Lucas noted that this discussion would also cover off on the ACTIVE CoC 2018 Resolution number 15 (COMPLAN} and he invited the Co-Chair (with India) of this IWG, RADM Christopher Smith (Australia), to present the report of this IWG to the Conclave.
RADM Christopher Smith recalled the objectives of this IWG and presented the outcomes of the IWG meetings hosted by co-chairs Australia and India, before going through the Resolutions. He also underlined that Australia was willing to continue to co-chair this IWG and intends to host a meeting in late 2022. Finally, he listed the envisaged future activities as follows:
- develop an environmental best practice guide for vessels;
- generate a Junior Officers interaction programme similar to the one conducted by WPNS;
- undertake a Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) implementation survey;
- develop guidelines for a ship COVID-19 safe plan;
- various activities such as briefings on the Australian Maritime Border Command, on the fisheries management authorities, to including cooperation with Indonesia, and on Offshore Oil and Gas security.
The IS&I IWG Resolutions are at enclosure 3.
The Chair thanked Australia for what has been another particularly valuable vindication of the IONS IWG format.
He emphasised the fact that, in order to increase maritime co-operation it is essential that we share information and grow interoperability. He then commended the work of the IS&I IWG in this regard and in particular with the IONS COMPLAN and the proposed Information Sharing Template.
The Chairman stated that he was heartened to see an increasing alignment in our collective views towards environmental security, which is, from his view, a cross cutting issue, the elements of which fall within the scope of each of our three working groups.
Finally, he voiced his personal support for any ideas that encourage the creation of professional relationships and networks between the young officers of IONS navies. He added that he is a big advocate of the power of personal links, professional friendships and networks between our young men and women both as means of building trust and as erasing perceived barriers.
India expressed a willingness to remain a co-chair this IWG. Iran also stated an intention to volunteer as a co-chair. Following the subsequent discussion among members, India cognisant of the new co-chair status in Marsec IWG, deferred the IS&I IWG co-chair function to Iran.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
7.0 — IONS Communications
VADM Christophe Lucas noted that this discussion would also cover off on the ACTIVE IPW 2019 Resolution numbers 7 (Website Chat) and 14 (IONSPHERE).
7.1 IONS Website
India (RADM Jaswinder Singh) confirmed the Indian Navy intention to improve the functionality of the IONS Website, in particular with the addition of chat facility.
The Chair thanked India for this initiative, emphasising the fact that there is evidently much interest in the future of the IONS Website.
The Chair thanked India for this initiative, emphasising the fact that there is evidently much interest in the future of the IONS Website.
7.2 IONSPHERE Newsletter
The Chair noted his responsibility to publish of an issue of IONSPHERE each year during the tenure of the Chairmanship. He added that there is little doubt that the IONSPHERE publication has been historically well received, however as a communication tool though it could perhaps better be classified as a Newsletter and could also become a little dated - especially if the functionality of the IONS Website is developed and available to share more information, perhaps more easily.
He also noted that the IS&I IWG had mentioned an idea that might see IONSPHERE including an academic writing dimension to its content and a more general emerging view that perhaps the inclusion of more 'think-tank' type content could be of use. He asked members for their views on future content of IONSPHERE
Iran (Captain Ramin Zibaseresht) put forward a proposed to release scientific research documents to share knowledge and noted that the IRIN was ready to contribute and take the responsibility to lead this work on what could be a new document.
Australia (RADM Christopher Smith) stated a willingness to bring new ideas to draw IONSPHERE in a more forward-looking approach where young people from the IONS navies could bring positive inputs and confronting points of view.
Bangladesh (CDRE Mir Ershad Ali) stated a preference to continue with the current format, without preventing the insertion of new ideas but proposed that academic papers could be released in a supplement format.
Following the discussion the Chair invited members to forward ideas to the Secretariat so as to be in a position to make proposals for the next Conclave, taking into consideration the evolution of the IONS Website.
India stated that it should be possible now to insert academic papers in the IONSPHERE without waiting for the next Conclave.
The Chair confirmed his view, that there is no need to wait to insert academic papers in IONSPHERE. The aim of the work to be conducted prior to the next Conclave is have a more global approach on the structure and the objective of the magazine and of its alignment with a potentially improved IONS Website.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
8.0 — Charter of Business and IONS Administrative Documentation
VADM Christophe Lucas noted that this agenda Item covers off on the ACTIVE CoC 2018 Resolution number 8 (Decision making process), and the ACTIVE IPW 2019 Resolution numbers 1 (Invitations to all non-members to join), 8 (IWG Number of members), and 9 (Charter of Business amendment). He also explained that:
- the IONS Charter of Business (CoB) is at Version 2 and was last review updated in 2016;
- IPW 2019 Resolution 9 called for an amendment with regard to the levels of hospitality and in-country transport provided at IONS activities by host nations. It made sense to conduct an overall review of the CoB at the same time.
VADM Christophe Lucas proposed that the IONS Secretariat would call for submissions from members, then collate and manage a draft Version 3 which could be tabled through IPW to next Conclave in 2023 for approval. As part of this proposal the IONS Secretariat would review and update the IONS Secretariat Guidelines in the same time frame.
VADM Christophe Lucas further proposed that the IONS Secretariat would co-ordinate through the three IWG a review of the IWG Terms of Reference and the IWG Concept paper
The Chair subsequently underlined that the proposed review of the Charter of Business is significantly important because it regulates how we do our work as a collective.
He then introduced for discussion an issue not least driven by the limitations caused by the international travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: Virtual Attendance and the associated issue of Remote Voting in IONS fora.
He also made clear that, on a personal basis, he was convinced that votes should not be virtual in order to keep the strong cohesion that does exist when IONS Chiefs of Navy physically meet together. The issue of quorum might be another relevant point to be discussed.
Finally, in relation to the active IPW 2019 action on France as Chair to follow up on invitations to those non-member countries invited to become members of IONS, the Chairman proposed a that change be made to the Charter of Business that stipulates that each incoming Chair should write to all non-member littoral nations with an invitation to join IONS. This would be done at the commencement of each Chairmanship tenure.
Australia (RADM Christopher Smith) clarified that, while_ understanding the need for physical attendance at Conclave level, the use of video-conferencing within IWG and other working groups had a clear interest.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
9.0 — Future Activities
9.1 IONS Working Groups Any Other Business
No "Any Other Business" was received.
9.2 Other Workshops or Working Groups Business
In line with the apparent increasing alignment in the collective view towards environmental security, the Chair stated during the.lS&I IWG Report that he saw this as a cross cutting issue, the elements of which fall within the scope of each of our three working groups. For this reason, he proposed a Resolution asking all three IWGs to review how best to include an overlay of environmental security on their respective work.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
9.3 Proposed IONS Publications
No proposals were made by members.
9.4 IMEX 2022
The Chairman provided a brief update on IMEX 22 as follows:
The IMEX 22 Exercise, co-organised between India and France, will be held on 30-31 March 2022, on the west coast of India.
France will deploy the Jeanne d'Arc Task Group, consisting of the PHA Mistral and the FLF Courbet to participate in this exercise.
The IMEX Initial Planning Conference (IPC) will take place in mid-December by video conference and will be the occasion for the Member countries to announce their contributions to the exercise.
The Chair proposed jointly with India to inviting all members states to participate and India confirmed the elements related to the organization of the exercise were in place and invited all Members to join with their assets or with delegations.
9.5 Other IONS Exercises
VADM Christophe Lucas thanked IRIN for organising the Marsec exercise and underlined that it would be a very good opportunity to test the ITP.
Iran (Captain Ramin Zibaseresht) confirmed that due to the COVIO-19 crisis that the originally planned exercise had been postponed but that the IRIN was now ready to organise the MarSec exercise at end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022.
Australia (RAOM Christopher Smith) reiterated the merit of launching an IONS Exercise lessons learned program, which could be relayed through the Secretariat to all members.
9.6 Establishing relationships with similar organisations
VAOM Christophe Lucas highlighted that as evidenced the IWG Resolutions presented at this Conclave, by both the Marsec IWG and the IS&I IWG, there was evidently much interest in the establishment of relationships with similar organisations. He added that there were potentially significant experiences and economies of effort that could be pursued through a more established relationship with those organisations with a multi-lateral membership or a focus on the Indian Ocean. He then proffered that, in his view, the two most immediate opportunities seemed to be the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) and the Indian Ocean Regional Forum (IORA).
Following this introduction, he opened the floor for comments. The Chair invited Thailand, as the next Member scheduled to assume the Chairmanship, to offer a position on this proposal.
Thailand (Admiral Worapol Tongpricha) recommended that in the IONS context these relationships should remain at the Navy-to-Navy level so as to avoid any political difficulties and significant increase of workload.
Bangladesh (CORE Mir Ershad Ali) expressed a similar position.
Taking into consideration this exchange of views, the Chair proposed to establish a relationship only with WPNS.
Note: see Item 12 for the list of the agreed Resolutions.
9.7.1 IONS Preparatory Workshop
VADM Christophe Lucas underlined the benefit of the IONS preliminary planning meeting, conducted by members' senior staff officers immediately before the Conclave to ensure that valuable time was not spent discussing out of date Resolutions and that the agenda put to the Chiefs was as contemporary as possible.
VAOM Christophe Lucas reiterated that this preliminary planning meeting was not empowered to make any substantive decisions, that being squarely the remit of the Conclave, but rather to agree on a state of agenda suitable for the Conclave to consider. He then proposed that this kind of technical meeting could be kept for future Conclaves of Chiefs.
India (RAOM Jaswinder Singh) and Bangladesh (CORE Mir Ershad Ali) both intervened to emphasise the fact that this proposal would not obviate the need for an IPW in the interim year between consecutive Conclaves. VADM Christophe Lucas then confirmed that the proposal was not to replace the IPW by this technical preliminary planning meeting.
In the light of the consensus on this issue, VADM Christophe Lucas stated that this additional meeting of Staff officers immediate before Conclave would be inserted in the revision of the Secretariat Guideline or of the Charter of Business to be submitted to Coe validation in 2023.
VADM Christophe Lucas invited Italy to make a presentation of the main outcomes of the 2019 Regional Sea Power Symposium held in Venice at the IPW 2022, bearing in mind that it had not been possible do conduct this activity previously.
The Chair reminded all that the last IPW was hosted by Oman in 2019 and that the next one is scheduled for 2022 (to fit halfway between two-yearly IONS Conclave of Chiefs) and will be hosted by India. He then thanked Pakistan for volunteering to host the 2024 IPW and asked if there were any other volunteers seeking to nominate to host 2024 IPW. There were none.
10.0 — Next Chairmanships
Note: to ensure that discussion around next Chairmanships was addressed before the official dinner, this agenda item was taken earl out of sequence.
The Chair reminded all of his responsibility, in regards to Charter of Business at paragraph 8.3 where he is charged to designate the next two IONS Chairmanships. He invited the Conclave to deal first with the 2023-2025 rotation and then with the subsequent 2025-2027 period.
The Chair stated that he was delighted to invite the head of delegation of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) to address the Conclave of Chiefs.
After having presented a short video presenting the Royal Thai Navy and its missions as well as some the outstanding landscapes and attractions of Thailand, Admiral Worapol Tongpricha confirmed the RTN intention to chair IONS for the period 2023-2025.
The Chair warmly thanked Thailand.
India (RADM Jaswinder Singh) then confirmed the Indian Navy's nomination to chair IONS for the period 2025-2027.
11.0 — Any Other Business
There was no other business raised by Members.
12.0 — Confirmation of Action Items
VADM Christophe Lucas sought to confirm the wording of some of the draft Resolutions as captured by the Secretariat during the Conclave as follows.
Regarding the creation of an IONS HADR Coordination Centre (IHCC) in India:
Pakistan (Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi) reiterated his reservations and requested further information on this issue. He reiterated the position that for reasons of capacity building and to ensure that every member would participate fully, the management of an IONS HADR Coordination Centre should better rotate with the Chair.
The Chair further noted that such an amendment to proposal would imply an extra load to the incumbent IONS Chairman and that this idea deserved further analysis.
The Indian Navy delegation agreed and offered to remove the IHCC concept proposal as potentially detrimental to the progress of the draft HADR Guidelines and the IWG Resolution element specifically related to the IHCC was not endorsed.
After the discussion on the issue concluded, a consensus was reached on the wording of the applicable Resolution and the remaining Resolutions were renumbered accordingly.
VADM Christophe Lucas specified that the ACTIVE Resolution relating \o the creation of an IONS flag, originally from the IPW 2019, had been inadvertently overlooked in the Conclave discussion at agenda item 'Any other Business'. He proposed to insert an appropriate Resolution to cover this proposal.
Thailand (Admiral Worapol Tongpricha) asked for clarification on the list of the Resolutions related to the Marsec Working Group. VADM Christophe Lucas confirmed that they were as presented during the Monday morning preliminary planning meeting and subsequently tracked through the process.
After a brief discussion amongst members VADM Christophe Lucas confirmed to Iran that in accordance with the Charter of Business when two Members are in charge of a Working Group, they are considered on an equal footing, both as co-chairs.
The final Resolutions of the Conclave of Chiefs 2021 were agreed as follows:
| Item | Resolution |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh and India were endorsed as the HADR IWG co-chairs for the next Chairmanship period. |
| 2 | Pakistan was endorsed as a new member of the HADR IWG. |
| 3 | The HADR IWG Report and the HADR IWG Resolutions n° 1 to 5 and 7 to 8 (change of date required on Resolutions 4 and 8 from "31 Mar 2020" to "31 Dec 2021", as well as on Resolutions 3 and 7 from "2021" to "2022"). Resolution 6 about an IONS Coordination Centre HADR (ICCH) was not endorsed (enclosure 1). |
| 4 | Iran and India were endorsed as the Marsec IWG co-chairs for the next Chairmanship period. |
| 5 | With regard to the ITP, the Marsec IWG commitment to the development of this document was applauded. However the Resolution to fast track the interim approval of the ITP was not endorsed. However agreement was reached to validate the draft publication at sea at the next IONS Marsec Exercise announced by IRIN during the 7th CoC. |
| 6 | The MarSec IWG Report and all the other MarSec IWG Resolutions were endorsed (enclosure 2). |
| 7 | Australia and Iran were endorsed as the IS&I IWG co-chairs for the next Chairmanship period. |
| 8 | The IS&I IWG Report and all the IS&I IWG Resolutions were endorsed (enclosure 3). |
| 9 | The Conclave invited India, within the framework of the IS&I IWG to review the IONS Website with a view to increased functionality options, including the capacity to host a chat facility, to make any necessary trials and report back to CoC 2023 with a suggested way ahead. |
| 10 | The Conclave tasked the IONS Secretariat to oversee a global review of IONSPHERE and provide recommendations through IPW 2022 for Conclave 2023 consideration. |
| 11 | The Conclave tasked the IONS Secretariat to oversee a comprehensive review of the Charter of Business. The review is to take in all aspects of the Charter's remit and is to include the routine invitation to all non-member littoral navies, consideration of the issues of Virtual attendance at IONS events, of remote voting and size of quorum required. |
| 12 | The Conclave tasked the IONS Secretariat to conduct a routine review of the IONS Secretariat Guidelines and to work through the three IWGs to review the IWG Terms of Reference and the IWG Concept Document with a view to drafting an update of all the documentation for presentation at IPW 2022 and subsequent endorsement at Conclave 2023. |
| 13 | The Chairman invited the co-chairs of all three IWGs to review how best to include an overlay of environmental security on their respective IWG work in progress and future remit (including ongoing revisions to the IWG Concept and Terms of Reference) and report back to Conclave 2023 through the IPW 2022 with associated recommendations. |
| 14 | The Chair undertook to write to his counterpart at WPNS to seek formal endorsement of a proposal whereby a joint member from (of IONS and WPNS) could be selected by the Chair to provide a standing agenda item update report at the IPW and Conclave. This arrangement could of course be two-way if desired by the similar organisations. |
| 15 | Members and observers are invited to send to the IONS Secretariat proposals related to the IONS flag with a view to the 2022 IPW. |
| 16 | Thailand confirmed its intention to assume the Chairmanship of IONS from 2023-2025. |
| 17 | India was endorsed as the designate IONS Chair from 2025-2027. |
| 18 | India will host the 2022 IPW and Pakistan will host the IPW 2024. |
13.0 — Closing Address
In closing the Chair emphasised the following points:
- the very clear benefit of this forum, which enables navies to exchange beyond any possible political divergence;
- his satisfaction in regards to all the decisions which had been taken, in particular on the exercises, the tactical documentation, the IONS Website and the integration of environmental security across all IWG activity;
- the great opportunity offered by this Conclave to achieve fruitful discussions with the Chiefs of Navies and heads of delegations;
- his specific thanks to the Royal Thai Navy for the commitment to assume the next Chairmanship and a confirmation of his full support to Thailand in related preparations;
- finally, the Chair advised that he would seize every opportunity to visit the Indian Ocean region in order to prolong the discussions he had during these two days with IONS Chiefs.
Enclosure 1 — 4th Meeting on HADR
Mumbai: 17–18 Dec 19 — Resolutions
Resolution 1 — IWG members will continue to share HADR operational experiences and capabilities including analysis/lessons learnt.
Resolution 2 — IONS member nations are encouraged to invite other IONS member nations as active participants or observers in HADR courses, events and exercises.
Resolution 3 — IWG member nations are encouraged to volunteer for conducting Field Training Exercise based on IONS Guidelines for HADR. France volunteered to conduct the HADR Exercise in Mar/Apr 2021.
Resolution 4 — The HADR Resource Directory needs to be further developed with contribution from all member nations, including assets like hospital ships etc. All IONS member nations are requested to provide information by 31 Mar 2020.
Resolution 5 — A common format towards voluntary reporting of incident/disaster, with an aim to promptly disseminate information for common understanding, is proposed to be included in the Guidelines. A draft 'HADR Information Sharing Template' is placed at Enclosure.
Resolution 6 — The need to establish IONS Coordination Centre for HADR (ICCH) was agreed upon in the meeting.
Resolution 7 — A Flowchart on the planning and conduct of HADR operations needs to be incorporated in the Guidelines. France will prepare the Flowchart post conduct of the IONS HADR Exercise in 2021.
Resolution 8 — Bangladesh volunteered to be the co-chair of the IWG on HADR and formulate Maritime Search and Rescue Guidelines (MSAR). The draft MSAR Guidelines will be circulated by Bangladesh to the IWG members by 31 Mar 2020.
Resolution 9 — The IWG members agreed to discuss Submarine Escape and Rescue as part of future HADR Exercises. IWG member nations are encouraged to make presentation on the issue in the subsequent meetings.
Enclosure 2 — Virtual Meeting on MarSec
27–28 Oct 21 — Resolutions
Resolution 1 — After talks and discussions, it was agreed that ITP will be sent to CoC 2021 for preliminary adoption. Full adoption will be after validation at sea, review during Marsec IWG Meeting 2022, and IPW 2022.
Resolution 2 — MarSec Guidelines will be sent to CoC 2021 as Work in Progress. The document will be discussed and reviewed during MarSec IWG Meeting 2022 and after validation in IPW 2022, will be sent to CoC 2023 for ratification.
Resolution 3 — Due to the UK withdrawal from the IWG co-chairmanship, this item should be included in the CoC 2021 agenda and after seeking for volunteers, one should be assigned to this position by consensus.
Resolution 4 — Primary steps for linking IONS and WPNS have been taken by the IRIN. After ratification in CoC 2021, this Resolution will be followed up by the IONS Secretariat. It was suggested that the WPNS chair could be invited to Paris meeting or one of the IONS members who is also a member of WPNS be requested to give a report on WPNS activities and how the two symposiums can link and work together.
Resolution 5 — France declared that IPC of the French Navy IMEX will be held in December and FPC will be held a few days before the exercise implementation in early 2022.
Resolution 6 — Australia suggested sharing its information about IFCs in the IONS region with members.
Enclosure 3 — Meeting on IS&I
Delhi: 16–18 Feb 21 — Resolutions
Resolution 1 — Available information on Maritime Information Exchange Directory (MIED) will be uploaded on IONS Website prior to CoC 2021. All IONS nations are requested to update respective country's information and forward to IONS Secretariat. As on 18 Feb 2021, MIED from several nations are still awaited.
Resolution 2 — In order to support information sharing requirements of IONS nations, system links of all available Information Fusion Centres (IFCs)/ equivalent Centres can be provided on the IONS Website. The respective countries will coordinate with the Information Centres for availing necessary login identification. For example, login requirements to the IFC Realtime Information-sharing System (IRIS), will need to be promulgated by IFC (Singapore).
Resolution 3 — Cross Training and Sea Rider Exchange practice needs to be encouraged within IONS. Toward this, related information (for example upcoming opportunities, post-activity summary and photographs, etc) may be hosted by IONS navies on IONS Website through the IONS Secretarial. Proposal of Australia to adopt Cross Training guidelines prepared under the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Charter is recommended by IWG IS&I (enclosure 1). As a start, Iran and France are encouraged to facilitate Cross-training/Junior Officer Sea Rider Programme as start of the forthcoming IONS Maritime Exercise (IMEX) and IONS Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise.
Resolution 4 — The IWG IS&I Terms of Reference are to include the sharing of information related to the environmental maritime challenges.
Resolution 5 — The IWG discussed and finalised the COMPLAN (enclosure 2) prepared by the IWG for IONS nations. The COMPLAN may be promulgated to all IONS nations for use. SI 109 of proposed COMPLAN be amended to read as « Bridge to Bridge Safety/HADR Ops ». Once approved by CoC, COMPLAN will be appended in IONS Guidelines viz IONS HADR Guidelines, IONS Tactical Publication (ITP), IONS Maritime Search and Rescue (IMSAR) Guidelines etc.
Resolution 6 — Towards promoting information sharing amongst IONS member/ observer nations, identified common areas of interest, recommendations for new activities, volunteering to host any IONS activities may be posted on the IONS Website. The IWG developed consensus on the need to have an inter-active/chat kind of facility for faster communication and to enable closer coordination within IONS nations.
Resolution 7 — The IWG discussed and finalised the common format for incident reporting, messages, situation reports for IONS nations. The proposed Information Sharing template (Enclosure 3) may be promulgated for all IONS nations for implementation. Once approved by CoC, Information Sharing Format will be appended in IONS Guidelines viz IONS HADR Guidelines, ITP, IMSAR Guidelines etc.
Resolution 8 — The IWG IS&I endorses and proposes that IONS nations support and share academic exchanges of maritime issues and concepts.
Resolution 9 — While face-to-face meetings are the preferred method, IONS member nations may consider facilitating interactions via video conference, especially for nations which are unable to participate physically.
Resolution 10 — IWG IS&I proposes institutionalised linkages with WPNS, International Maritime Organisation (IMO) etc. for mutual benefits.
7th CoC Meeting — Attendees List
Member Nations
| Country | Delegates |
|---|---|
| Australia | Rear Admiral Christopher Smith (HoD); Captain Ryan Gaskin; Captain Ken Macaulay-Black; Commander Ben Esler |
| Bangladesh | Rear Admiral Mohammed Mahbubul Islam (HoD); Commodore Mir Ershad Ali |
| France | Admiral Pierre Vandier, CNS (The IONS Chair); Vice Admiral Christophe Lucas (IONS Secretary); Captain Yann Briand (IONS Secretariat); Mr Hervé Dejean de la Batie (IONS Secretariat); Commander Bernard Richelet (IONS Secretariat) |
| India | Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar (HoD); Rear Admiral Jaswinder Singh |
| Indonesia | Rear Admiral Hartanto Dadi (HoD); Captain Dharmawan Bambang; Lieutenant Commander Raharjo Yacob Tri; Lieutenant Commander Prasetiadi Sigit |
| Iran | Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, CNS (HoD); Commodore Mohammad Reza Hosseini Reza; Captain Afshin Bokaee; Captain Sohrab Sadegh; Captain Ramin Zibaseresht |
| Malaysia | Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Reza Bin Mohd Sany, CNS (HoD); Captain Mohd Hasnan Bin Mohd Hanafiah; Lieutenant Commander Shahrul Nazhar Bin Shamsi; Commander Nasrul Hadi Bin Abdul Rahman |
| Maldives | Colonel Mohamed Saleem, CNS (HoD); Major Hussain Rasheed |
| Oman | Captain Sulaiman Khalaf Habib Al Hosni (HoD); Captain Ali Mohammed Abdullah Al Balushi; Commander Majid Khamis Nasser Al Wardi |
| Pakistan | Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, CNS (HoD); Commodore Shahid Wasif; Captain Tayyab Wadood Anwar; Captain Shafiq Ur Rehman; Lieutenant Commander Haris Hameed |
| Qatar | Brigadier General/Sea Abdulla Al Mazroey (HoD); Brigadier General/Sea Abdulla Al Dosari; Major/Sea Mohd Al Rayashi |
| Seychelles | Brigadier Michael Rosette, CoD (HoD); Commissaire principal Romain Salmon |
| Singapore | Rear Admiral Edwin Leong, Chief of Staff - Naval Staff (HoD); Colonel Alvin Yeo; Lieutenant Colonel Xander Lim; Ms Adwyna Yeong |
| Sri Lanka | Rear Admiral Prasanna Mahawithana (HoD); Captain AAC Karunasena; Captain PGMA Kulasiri |
| Thailand | Admiral Worapol Tongpricha (HoD); Commander Chawal Parwasuthikarn; Commander Phithoon Thongprayat |
| United Arab Emirates | Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Khozaimi (HoD); Colonel Rashed Al-Suwaidi |
| United Kingdom | Admiral Benjamin Key, CNS (HoD); Rear Admiral Iain Lower; Commander Andrew Norgate; Commander Nicholas Stone |
Observer Nations
| Country | Delegates |
|---|---|
| Germany | Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, CNS (HoD); Commander Stephan Pfeiffer; Commander S.G. Oliver Heinicke |
| Italy | Admiral Enrico Credendino, CNS (HoD); Captain Giancarlo Ciappina; Lieutenant Commander Rino Gentile |
| Japan | Commander Shinji Suzuki |
| Netherlands | Commodore Peter Van Den Berg (HoD); Commander Geordie Klein; Lieutenant Commander Marteen Versluis |
| Spain | Admiral General Antonio Martorell Lacave, CNS (HoD); Vice Admiral Gonzalo Sanz Alisedo; Captain Vicente Cuquerella Gambao; Commander Tomas Clavijo Rey-Stolle; Lieutenant Commander Ignacio Lopez Muñoz |
Members and Observers as of 16 November 2021
Member Nations
| Member Nation | WEF |
|---|---|
| Australia | 10 May 2014 |
| Bangladesh | 04 July 2014 |
| France | 10 March 2015 |
| India | 28 February 2015 |
| Indonesia | 10 November 2014 |
| Iran | 16 March 2015 |
| Kenya | 09 December 2015 |
| Malaysia | 25 April 2018 |
| Maldives | 22 October 2014 |
| Mauritius | 11 November 2014 |
| Mozambique | 16 March 2015 |
| Myanmar | 26 November 2014 |
| Oman | 31 August 2014 |
| Pakistan | 27 October 2014 |
| Qatar | 29 June 2021 |
| Saudi Arabia | 24 August 2014 |
| Seychelles | 28 November 2014 |
| Singapore | 05 August 2014 |
| South Africa | 27 October 2014 |
| Sri Lanka | 20 October 2014 |
| Tanzania | 10 June 2014 |
| Thailand | 19 December 2014 |
| Timor-Leste | 04 December 2014 |
| United Arab Emirates | 11 November 2014 |
| United Kingdom | 18 June 2014 |
Observer Nations
| Observer Nation | WEF |
|---|---|
| China | 28 March 2014 |
| Germany | 13 January 2016 |
| Italy | 13 January 2016 |
| Japan | 28 March 2014 |
| Madagascar | 23 March 2015 |
| Netherlands | 13 January 2016 |
| Russia | 13 January 2016 |
| Spain | 13 January 2016 |
IWG as of 16 November 2021
| IWG | HADR | MarSec | IS&I |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair/Co-chairs | - Bangladesh - India |
- India - Iran |
- Australia - Iran |
| Members | - Australia - Bangladesh - France - India - Indonesia - Iran - Kenya - Maldives - Pakistan (new) - Thailand - Timor-Leste |
- Australia - Bangladesh - France - India - Iran - Kenya - Mozambique - Oman - Pakistan - Saudi Arabia - South Africa - Sri Lanka - Tanzania - Thailand |
- Australia - Bangladesh - France - India - Iran - Pakistan - Oman - Singapore - Thailand - United Arab Emirates |
