Vanguard Magazine

36 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 www.vanguardcanada.com 14 – 16 NOVEMBER 2022 | VICTORIA, BC EVENTS T he 9th Maritime Secu- rity Challenges conference (MSC22) will take place at the renowned Fairmont Em- press Hotel in Victoria, Brit- ish Columbia, Canada, from November 14th to 16th 2022. Pacific Seapower: Strategic Competition in the Indo-Pacific will spotlight the cur- rent geopolitical and maritime challenges being addressed in this increasingly dy- namic region and will attract an array of senior naval officers, academics, political representatives, and scientists from around the world to discuss the following themes: • Challenges to the Strategic Com- mons – Climate Change: This past year has shown increasing evidence that climate change is no longer a problem for the future, but is upon us now, as extreme temperatures, fires, and floods have erupted across the world. Climate change is not merely an environmental issue, as it also has significant economic, social, and security implications, includ- ing in the maritime domain. Navies and other maritime agencies must ask themselves how climate change will af- fect their operations and how they will contribute to national adaptation strate- gies, as this will be a challenge with us for decades to come. • Great Power Competition and the Spaces Between - Prospects and Im- plications of Sino-Russian Coopera- tion: While US-Russia competition and US-China competition have been on- going for years, a new dynamic in this triangle was added in February 2022 when Russia and China declared a "no limits" partnership. While Beijing has made it clear that there actually are lim- its to this relationship, as it has balked at strongly supporting Moscow in its war on Ukraine, Sino-Russian naval co- operation is growing, particularly in the Pacific. How will this maritime partner- ship shift defence calculations and allied operations in the region? • New Old Theatres: Renewed Strate- gic Focus on the Pacific Islands - The Pacific Islands in National Maritime Strategies: Once a major sub-theatre of operations in World War II, Oceania fell away from the geopolitical forefront as challenges in other regions gained more popular attention. This attention deficit allowed China to make inroads in the Pacific Islands, and once again the re- gion is home to significant geopolitical competition. How will this competition play out, and how will the Pacific Islands seek to promote their interests and sov- ereignty throughout? • Innovation to Meet Maritime Chal- lenges: Navies have always been reliant on complex technologies, though this relationship is evolving at an accelerated pace. Innovation and the ability to in- tegrate new technologies effectively can provide a tactical or strategic edge, and increase the efficiency of platforms, lo- gistics, and support infrastructure. How have navies approached the development of new systems and skillsets, and how might these proficiencies – or deficien- cies – impact future operations? What technologies – like artificial intelligence or cyber – might impact, complement, or outright replace established capabili- ties, and how might they be employed in the maritime realm? • Building the Fleets of Tomorrow - Canada's Shipbuilding Campaign: As the list of national tasks given to mari- time services expands, the fleets being built to address them are shrinking. Warships and personnel costs are not decreasing, and innovative solutions are required to meet ongoing and new chal- lenges. Planning future fleets to address future challenges is a task laden with both risk and opportunity; while untest- ed concepts could prove ineffective, they also provide an opportunity to reassess established practices. Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy has worked to rec- oncile Canada's maritime interests with its shipbuilding – how is the program faring so far? Visit the MSC22 website (https:// mscconference.com/) for more information on an extensive and topical program including: • 5 Eyes Perspectives on the Indo-Pacific • Geopolitics, Security, and the Shipping Industry • Indo-Pacific Fisheries and Inter-state Tensions • The Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship: New Platform, New Operations • The State of Affairs in the South China Sea MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES 2022

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