Maritime law enforcement agencies met to establish a baseline of existing maritime security mandates and enforcement legislation.
Organised by the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, the meeting was held at the Maritime Essential Services Centre in Lami.
According to the Fiji Navy, the foundational mapping exercise was enhanced with insights from Professor Satish Chand.
Mr Chand co-authored Fiji’s National Security Defence Review (NSDR) and National Security Strategy (NSS).
The Fiji Navy highlighted that the baseline assessment will enable targeted follow-up meetings designed to strengthen maritime security governance, unify efforts across agencies and enhance collective capabilities for deterrence, detention and disruption of illegal maritime activities.
The initiative, supported by advice from the Office of the Solicitor-General, reflects maritime law enforcement agencies’ commitment to taking ownership of NSS implementation, recognising that leveraging each other’s unique strengths is essential for achieving collective maritime security objectives.