Rules of naval warfare is paramount says International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Head of the ICRC’s PNG Mission, Mark Kessler said, PNGDF naval officers need a firm understanding of the laws of armed conflict at sea as they continue to participate in naval drills and trainings with countries in the Asia Pacific region.
“Maritime boundaries have become critical to the geopolitics of the Asia Pacific region, and it’s vital that naval officers understand the rules of naval warfare,” Kessler said.
Kessler made the comments following the attendance of PNGDF Director of Maritime Operations Jack Willie Galia at a five-day regional workshop on the Law of Armed Conflict at Sea at the National Defence University of Malaysia (NDUM) last month.
The workshop was jointly hosted by the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), the National Defences University of Malaysia (NDUM) and the ICRC.
Galia was among 28 senior naval officers from the Asia Pacific region who met to discuss a range of operational and humanitarian issues, as well as the law of armed conflict at sea.
The gathering was a platform for the officers to network and exchange ideas, experiences and best practices.
Prominent international academics and military specialists were brought in to be the facilitators of the workshop.