Page 251 - MDSL Final

FUTURE NAVY
facilitate decision makers to make a learnt decision from huge volume of
input received from various sources that gather maritime information.
Further, SLN is required to strengthen the endeavour by collaborating
and developing partnerships with other maritime fusion centres with in
the IOR.

Maritime Aerial Surveillance

Securing the SLOC from various threats possess a challenge, mainly non-
traditional threats; piracy, terrorism, drug trafficking, human smuggling,
maritime pollution and IUU fishing which continue to develop the
tension in the Indian Ocean including sea area belongs to Sri Lanka. The
significant maritime traffic generates a serious risk of pollution and their
consequences for the maritime environment will be huge. The form of
pollutants discharged into the ocean by ships adversely affects the fish
stock and the habitability of the coast, thus could result in significant
damage to the maritime environment. The potential economic impact
of these factors will be of a grave concern.

The incidents taken place in particular area may spread over time to
other areas as well. The surveillance is required to plan not limiting to
detection, but classification and identification of illegal actors. The aerial
platforms will provide advantage to have effective surveillance without
the reach of naval ships and craft. The present concept and methodology
in place should be evaluated for its performance and effectiveness, thus
it should incorporate the aerial platforms to enhance the surveillance.
Therefore, it demands the new methods to re-strengthen the maritime
surveillance system with state of the art technology.

The aerial platforms are very much essential to overcome these
limitations in the maritime surveillance. Maritime enforcement can be
enhanced by establishing aerial surveillance together with Information
Fusion Centre for fusing and producing intelligence. The capabilities
of the existing platforms for the operation of aerial surveillance are
an important factor. It is required to consider the aerial surveillance
capabilities of sister forces, analysis on the capacity and limitations of the
existing platforms in terms of quantity, endurance, sensor capabilities

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 231