Page 83 - MDSL Final

NEW DYNAMICS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION
It is universally accepted that the armed forces are best suited to respond
to major disasters. Thus need for IOR Navies to respond promptly in
order to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
operations demand regional maritime cooperation.

Natural Disasters will be more frequent in IOR Littorals in Future

Future Challenges

IOR will continue to have many traditional and non-traditional threats in
the 21st century. It will be the true nexus of world powers and conflicts
in the coming years. It is here that the fight for democracy, energy,
independence and religious freedom will be lost or won. Sri Lanka will
have to face with some unavoidable challenges such as how to avoid
being the focus of rivalry or competition among major powers. Sri Lanka
is a small nation that is nevertheless very strategically placed, at a critical
location within the Indian Ocean and this has focused the attention
of many powers. In this context, SLN should determine to maintain
progressive, positive relations with all the concern stakeholders in
maritime operations in line with our national interests.

The strategic demarcation between Indian and Pacific Oceans are
converging into Indo- Pacific and a new security framework has evolved
and gaining prominence that could help mitigate the impact of strategic
competition in the region. Nevertheless, it is increasingly becoming a
necessity to have a comprehensive security architecture for IOR which
all states should become an integral part of the binding fabric of such
maritime security order. Non-traditional threats are emerging in different

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 65