ASEAN’s maritime patrols seek formal status, highlight collaborative benefits

FORUM Staff

Southeast Asian coast guard and maritime patrol leaders want to establish their nations’ missions as an official sector of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Formal recognition of the ASEAN Coast Guard Forum (ACF) would advance collective efforts through dialogue, information sharing, capacity-building initiatives and operational cooperation, forum members stated in a joint declaration at their annual meeting in June 2026.

Working together benefits each nation’s commitment to oversee vast stretches of open sea, including maritime regions within their respective exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extend 200 nautical miles beyond a state’s territorial waters.

The initiative recognizes the critical role played by maritime law enforcement in protecting sea lanes that support trade, food security and the livelihoods of millions of people across the region, the Manila Bulletin newspaper reported. The group’s establishment as an ASEAN sector would enable each nation’s coast guard and maritime law enforcement agencies to coordinate directly with counterparts, streamlining operations.

“For the first time, we have a more formal platform where coast guards and maritime law enforcers only can talk amongst themselves within the ASEAN region on matters that really pertain to coast guards and maritime law enforcement agencies,” said Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan. The format enables authorities to respond faster and more efficiently.

Delegations from ASEAN’s 11 member nations attended the forum’s fifth meeting. The economic and security bloc, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, prioritizes recognition of each member nation’s sovereignty and right to remain free from external interference.

At its June meeting in Manila the ACF finalized guidelines for its mandate, scope and organizational structure. The ACF will seek official recognition at the ASEAN summit in November 2026, also in Manila.

An enhanced ASEAN Coast Guard Forum could counter maritime threats such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, human and drug trafficking, and environmental crimes, as well as cybersecurity risks. It also would better address maritime safety and security, especially in the South China Sea and along the so-called Ring of Fire, a 40,000-kilometer-long belt of seismic instability prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The ACF collaborates with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Korea-ASEAN Maritime Safety Academy, and shares data with the United States, nongovernmental groups and commercial satellite enterprises to monitor vessel movements and IUU fishing. The U.S. supports ASEAN’s maritime security efforts and is eager to work closely with the ACF, according to the Lowy Institute.

The Australia-based think tank has recommended parameters for the ACF’s establishment and operation, including joint exercises focused on search and rescue, cybersecurity, safety protocols, navigation techniques and equipment training, among other skills. “It is high time for the ACF to evolve into a more formal and institutionalized body under the ASEAN umbrella,” the institute reported in February 2025.

Regular coordination among ASEAN members’ maritime agencies will improve efficiency, Gavan said, “so that people can be assured that when incidents happen, there will always be a coast guard who will be there to respond.”