5th Fleet Focus: Gulf Naval Commanders Conference

Very interesting summery (PDF) by Alison Lawlor of the Center for Naval Analyses in this Report on the Gulf Naval Commanders Conference, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, July 2, 2008.

Emphasis in bold is mine. The conclusions:

In summary, there was no disagreement among the speakers regarding the major maritime threats in the region and the need for cooperative solutions. Chief among the threats discussed was maritime terrorism, which recognizes no borders and uses asymmetric and unconventional means of attack.

Participants shared concerns about protecting oil infrastructure, chokepoints, and sea lines of communication.

They also expressed concern about their ability to secure borders and the challenges inherent in preventing the illicit maritime transport of goods, people, and weapons of mass destruction in the Gulf.

Finally, several presenters emphasized the threat of a natural or man-made disaster with environmental consequences. The response to these maritime threats is beyond the capability and capacity of any one nation, and the presenters emphasized the need for collaborative and cooperative joint, interagency, and multinational solutions.

Iran was discussed, but regionally Iran is seen in context. They simply aren't the major threat to the region often sold in the US media. Why? Because their capabilities in wartime really aren't that impressive when facing the combined capabilities of the region.

The emphasis on environmental concerns is something the next president will need to engage as an issue. There are serious maritime environmental issues beyond the popular sonar and whales issue, and these shared environmental challenges are lacking leadership in the maritime domain from the political class today. I see these challenges as an opportunity for the US Navy to be leveraged in building cooperation within this important shared international concern.

Building maritime partnerships with a purpose begin with shared challenges, and dangers to the maritime environment is an often overlooked shared challenge from a political perspective.