Legal workshops on security issues hosted in Sri Lanka recently kicked off Indo-Pacific Endeavour 24 (IPE), Australia’s five-month engagement involving 14 countries across Southeast Asia and the northeast Indian Ocean.
Australian ships, aircraft and personnel deployed to individual countries for military exercises, training, workshops, and cultural and athletic activities. IPE, which runs from August to December 2024, covers topics such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), and gender, peace and security, according to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The first engagement was a law-of-the-sea workshop focused on maritime surveillance. It involved Sri Lanka Air Force Maritime Squadron personnel and included scenario-based training addressing drug smuggling, illegal fishing and other security issues. Officers from the ADF’s Indo-Pacific Centre for Military Law led the workshop.
“Like Australia, Sri Lanka has vast areas of maritime jurisdiction and a large search and rescue region. These waters include busy shipping lanes and areas with rich marine biodiversity,” IPE legal team leader Lt. Cmdr. Tim Quadrio said in a news release. “We are in Sri Lanka to share our experiences of conducting surveillance and enforcement operations that protect the sovereign rights granted by international law, while respecting navigational freedoms. This workshop demonstrates our respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and shared interest in conducting maritime operations in accordance with international law.”
Other activities included joint dive training by the Royal Australian Navy and Sri Lanka Navy. Personnel also gathered for a dawn service at the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Trincomalee, where candles marked the graves of two Australian service members who died during World War II.
“The sacrifice of the servicemen buried here also reminds us of the enduring relationships we have with our Indo-Pacific partners,” Royal Australian Navy Commodore Michael Harris, commander of IPE 24, said at the service. “More than 80 years after the war, the partnership that Australia shares with Sri Lanka remains strong, grounded in shared values.”
Other IPE partners are Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
IPE is a “whole of government activity protecting our and our partners’ interests in the region,” Harris said. “This year’s engagements are focused on building our capacity to work together in maritime enforcement and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness.”
For the first time, IPE will include ADF and Indonesian National Armed Forces participation in Exercise Keris Woomera, a joint amphibious activity.
“Exercise Keris Woomera is a significant activity and gives the Australian Defence Force the opportunity to work closely with our partner Indonesia to test our combined capabilities across the sea, on land and in the air,” said Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. Justin Jones, chief of joint operations.
