Blue Security

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 14 | Strategic culture and Indonesian approach to maritime “rules-based order” by Muhamad Arif.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 18 | Ensuring Cybersecurity in Ports for Major Port States in Southeast Asia by Su Wai Mon and Vu Hai Dang.

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration between La Trobe Asia, UNSW Canberra, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social, @defenceuwa.bsky.social and Asia Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue. Blue Security receives funding support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

doi.orgEnsuring Cybersecurity in Ports for Major Port States in Southeast AsiaAs ports across Southeast Asia become more digitally integrated, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical maritime security challenge. Increasing reliance on IT, OT, and connected systems has expanded vulnerabilities at major regional ports, particularly along the Strait of Malacca, with potentially severe consequences for global supply chains. Addressing these risks requires coordinated regulatory approaches, harmonised standards, and strengthened public–private cooperation to enhance cyber resilience and protect critical port infrastructure.

Download Issue 18 here: doi.org/10.26181/311...

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 18 | Ensuring Cybersecurity in Ports for Major Port States in Southeast Asia by Su Wai Mon and Vu Hai Dang.

Southeast Asia hosts some of the world’s busiest ports with many located along or near the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest and most critical maritime chokepoints globally. Disruptions to these hubs would have severe consequences for global maritime supply chains.

There is a pressing need for systematic, harmonised regulatory frameworks and compliance mechanisms to strengthen port cybersecurity across Southeast Asia.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 18 | Ensuring Cybersecurity in Ports for Major Port States in Southeast Asia by Su Wai Mon and Vu Hai Dang.

This issue looks at regulatory and policy readiness in major Southeast Asian ports, and aims to help address cybersecurity gaps, improve preparedness, and safeguard the region’s critical maritime infrastructure.

The security landscape of ports has evolved alongside their digital modernisation, which has exposed ports to a rising number of cyber threats.

Blue Security reposted

Douglas Guilfoyle

@djag2.bsky.social

9 Dec 2025

Another outing for Maritime Domain Awareness: The Board Game at a @bluesecprogram.bsky.social ECR workshop!

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 17 | Cooperation Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in Maritime Southeast Asia by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

Looking ahead, it is necessary to leverage the strengths of both multilateral and minilateral approaches, which can be achieved through increased cooperation between ASEAN and minilateral groups in times of crises.

opal.latrobe.edu.auCooperation Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in Maritime Southeast AsiaMaritime Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions, facing increasingly frequent and severe hazards driven by climate change, urbanisation and environmental degradation. Effecti...

Blue Security Program is a collaboration between La Trobe Asia, UNSW Canberra, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social @defenceuwa.bsky.social & AP4D. Blue Security receives funding support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade. Download Issue 17 here: opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/rep...

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 17 | Cooperation Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in Maritime Southeast Asia by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

Given the transnational nature of natural hazards and the resource and capacity constraints faced by individual countries, cooperation among states and non-state actors is indispensable.

ASEAN has made significant strides in strengthening regional disaster management and humanitarian assistance frameworks, and minilateral cooperation has gained traction as a more flexible and targeted alternative to multilateral approaches.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 17 | Cooperation Mechanisms for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in Maritime Southeast Asia by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh

This issue examines the effectiveness of multilateral and minilateral cooperation for HADR within maritime Southeast Asia, which is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world, highlighting the need for effective mechanisms for HADR.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 16 | Securing the Blue Energy Future: Offshore Wind and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure at Sea in Southeast Asia and Australia by Dawoon Jung, Febryani Sabatira and Camille Goodman.

This involves examining exposed turbines and associated systems situated above and within the water column, where power is produced and sometimes stored, as well as the subsea cables resting on or beneath the seabed that carry electricity ashore and feed it into national grids.

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration between La Trobe Asia, UNSW Canberra, United States Studies Centre, @defenceuwa.bsky.social & @Asia Pacific 4D & receives funding support from Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Download Issue 16 here: www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

The authors present a comprehensive legal analysis of international & national regulatory frameworks governing offshore wind farms & submarine power cables in context of various maritime sec threats & offer suggestions to strengthen the protection of this critical infrastructure.

Emerging tech introduce fresh vulnerabilities & its important to grasp sec risks offshore wind installations may face & assess measures ASEAN states & Aust adopt now to strengthen regulatory safeguards for this vital maritime infrastructure & bolster energy & maritime security.

This issue explores the critical role offshore wind has to play in the global transition to renewable energy, which is a rich area for deepening Australia- ASEAN maritime cooperation.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 15 | Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia: Linkages, Impacts and Prospects by @prakashg.bsky.social & Lucky Wuwung

Advancing Blue Economy initiatives could foster improved maritime security, leveraging the symbiotic relation between development and stability.

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration between La Trobe Asia, UNSW Canberra, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social, @defenceuwa.bsky.social & Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue. Blue Security receives funding support from DFAT. Download it here: www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 15 | Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia: Linkages, Impacts and Prospects by @prakashg.bsky.social & Lucky Wuwung

While ASEAN has made significant strides in articulating a collective vision for the Blue Economy through the 2021 Leaders’ Declaration and the 2023 ASEAN Blue Economy Framework these initiatives largely sidestep the region’s complex security challenges.

Maritime disputes, criminal activities, and great power competition, particularly in the South China Sea, pose significant threats to Blue Economy outcomes and undermine regional cooperation, deter investment, and hinder sustainable development.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 15 | Maritime Security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia: Linkages, Impacts and Prospects by @prakashg.bsky.social & Lucky Wuwung

This issue explores the critical interplay between maritime security and the Blue Economy in Southeast Asia, emphasising that regional economic aspirations are intertwined with geopolitical realities.

youtu.beMaritime Indonesia: Issues of Navigation and a Rules-based Maritime OrderYouTube video by Blue Security

21 Aug 2025

The recording of our 'Maritime Indonesia: Issues of Navigation and a Rules-based Maritime Order' webinar is now live! Thank you to our speakers John Bradford, Chulanee Attanayake, Muhamad Arif and Aristyo Darmawan for their insights. 🔗Watch now: youtu.be/aTrPrL4YcpY?...

11 Aug 2025

One Week Away! | Maritime #Indonesia: Issues of Navigation and a Rules-based Maritime Order🌊 Unpack #Maritime Affairs Issues 13 and 14 on Tuesday 19 August with John Bradford, Aristyo Darmawan, Chulanee Attanayake and Muhamad Arif. 5:30pm AEST | 3:30pm SGT Register: latrobe.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

31 July 2025

Maritime #Indonesia: Issues of Navigation and a Rules-based Maritime Order Join us for a panel that will unpack #Maritime Affairs Issues 13 and 14 on Tuesday 19 August - not to be missed! Time: 5:30 – 6:30pm AEST | 3:30pm SGT Register now via Zoom: latrobe.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 14 | Strategic culture and Indonesian approach to maritime “rules-based order” by Muhamad Arif.

Policy implications exist for Indonesia’s long-term strategic behaviour, the dilemma Indonesia’s strategic culture presents for external powers & how Aust should best strategically engage with SEA in a manner that does not undermine Indonesia’s leadership or territorial integrity

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration La Trobe Asia, UNSW Canberra, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social , @defenceuwa.bsky.social & Asia Pacific 4 D. Blue Security receives funding support from DFAT. Download Issue 14 here: www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 14 | Strategic culture and Indonesian approach to maritime “rules-based order” by Muhamad Arif.

This issue examines how Indonesia’s #maritime policies have been made within the context of strategic culture, in which two strains, shaped by different interpretations of its geography and strategic history, coexist in tension.

One strain is inward-looking, driven by a sense of vulnerability and focused narrowly on Indonesia’s territorial integrity as an archipelagic state and domestic development agenda. The other is outward-looking, driven by Indonesia’s sense of regional entitlement.

5 July 2025

Weekend Reading | This new issue by John Bradford & Aristyo R. Darmawan explores the historical and strategic nature of the differences between Indonesia and the major maritime states, focusing on their differing views on freedom of navigation in archipelagic waters.

Blue Security@bluesecprogram.bsky.social

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 13 | Avoiding “Navigation” as an Issue that Shipwrecks Indonesia’s Relationships with the Status Quo Sea Powers by @marsecbradford.bsky.social‬ & Aristyo Darmawan.

The article concludes with recommendations to the latter such that they may preserve their interests and advance cooperation with Indonesia while avoiding the elements of “navigation” issues that could otherwise shipwreck those relationships. Download it here: www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration La Trobe Asia , Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra, @usstudiescentre.bsky.social‬, @defenceuwa.bsky.social‬ & Asia Pacific 4 D. Blue Security receives funding support from DFAT.

This issue explores the historical and strategic nature of the differences between Indonesia and the major maritime states, focusing on their differing views on freedom of navigation in archipelagic waters.

Bradford & Darmawan describe three historic cases where these divergences have flared to become diplomatic incidents, and it examines points of friction that could adversely impact Indonesia’s future relationships with status quo sea powers.

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 12 | Making History, Making Archipelagos: A Parallel South China Sea Dispute by @alexpdelacruz.bsky.social looks at the relationship between the LOS Convention and the construction of historical narratives to support maritime claims.

Blue Security Maritime Fellow Dr Dela Cruz develops the argument by examining how states have deployed historical narratives in asserting the legal status of archipelagos. Download it here: www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

The Blue Security Program is a collaboration La Trobe Asia , Griffith Asia Institute, UNSW Canberra, United States Studies Centre, @defenceuwa.bsky.social & Asia Pacific 4 D. Blue Security receives funding support from DFAT.

Historical narratives have played a significant role in how states assert their rights and entitlements in the law of the sea before and after the adoption of the Convention.

21 Apr 2025

NEW Maritime Affairs Issue 11 | Great analysis from @cynthia-mehboob.bsky.social & @fitbintim.bsky.social which highlights how cable repair and maintenance rules—like licensing and permits—are used politically and can influence the region's digital future.

Blue Security@bluesecprogram.bsky.social

OUT NOW Maritime Affairs Issue 11 | Securing Our Data: Subsea Cables and Maritime Security in Southeast Asia by @cynthia-mehboob.bsky.social & @fitbintim.bsky.social. www.latrobe.edu.au/__data/asset...

Blue Security is led by @becstrating.bsky.social La Trobe Asia, Peter Dean United States Studies Centre, @drianhall.bsky.social Griffith Asia Institute, @djag2.bsky.social UNSW Canberra, @mconleytyler.bsky.social AP4D and @defenceuwa.bsky.social.

@drtlee-brown.bsky.social is the Program Manager. Blue Security receives funding support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade.

This analysis highlights how cable repair and maintenance rules—like licensing and permits—are used politically. When filtered through China’s broad maritime claims, these technical processes reinforce power imbalances and influence the region’s digital future.