Foreign Affairs Research Specialists Isabella Francine C. Alvarez, Ariane Kirstie C. De Guzman, Antonio Emmanuel R. Miranda, and Jeremy Dexter B. Mirasol from the Center for International Relations and Strategic Studies (CIRSS) of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) participated in the Maritime and Strategic Studies Period (MSSP) held on 7-18 May 2018 at the Brigade Training Center, Naval Station Jose Francisco, Taguig City.

The annual two-week training course was jointly conducted by the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) of the University of Wollongong and the Philippine Navy (PN), in cooperation with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Border Protection Command.

The training program enhanced the capability of government and military personnel on various aspects of maritime security. Among the subjects taken up were the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC), fisheries management, environment protection, naval warfare, Philippine maritime and territorial jurisdictions, Australian maritime doctrine, and developments in the Indo-Pacific region.  The training course produced insightful exchanges on the challenges and opportunities in regulating the conduct of states in the seas and in promoting Philippine strategic interests through the examination of the defense policy postures of key players and a nuanced understanding of maritime security and transnational activities.

The speakers included Prof. Stuart Kaye and Dr. Chris Rahman of ANCORS, Capt. Michael McArthur of RAN, Mr. Jesse Pascasio of the National Coast Watch Council Secretariat, Dr. Jay Batongbacal of the University of the Philippines-Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (UP-IMLOS), and Mr. Gabriel Honrada of the Office of Naval Strategic Studies.

Representatives from other government agencies, including the military and the coast guard, also participated in the training program.