CHILE: Maritime awareness

The 350 or so Chinese fishing vessels and factory ships off the Chilean coast this summer have once again emphasised the point: Maritime Domain Awareness! As is customary in other countries, the protection of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is also part of the navy's portfolio - in co-operation with other state institutions and ministries. Chile has an EEZ of 3.2 million square kilometres, more than four times the size of Chile's land area, making it the tenth largest in the world. Performing sovereign tasks here, i.e. ensuring legal behaviour and safeguarding national interests as well as saving lives, protecting ecosystems and ensuring safe navigation, requires an imaginative new approach. The navy has now reorganised under the name Desafio Avante 2020 has launched a competition between national academies, educational institutions and think tanks to find cost-effective, clever and civilian solutions using the latest resources and methods. The first task is to record and clarify the activities in the twelve-mile zone on the seaward side, but also a good 20 kilometres inland in the wooded coastal area. Then it is also about the entire spectrum of securing evidence in the event of illegal fishing. Thirdly, movements that do not participate in international positioning and identification procedures must be detected - although the navy is contributing a new satellite project for area reconnaissance. Fourthly, all this information needs to be brought together along the 6500 kilometre coastline. A fifth axis of investigation follows the question: What have we not yet considered? The teams have ten weeks in which to present their findings. This is how you bring maritime awareness into the education system!