by Patrick Mundstock, the winner of our essay competition:
More than 95 per cent of global international trade passes through the world's seas and oceans. Every year, around 47,000 merchant ships from all over the world travel on them, transporting around seven billion tonnes of goods, and the trend is rising. Bigger, faster and more and more is the motto of the shipping companies. The harbours are becoming more gigantic and the volume of trade is growing every year. This means that the prosperity of almost every economically active nation is particularly dependent on maritime security policy. And yet maritime security is facing such a far-reaching problem that even international organisations such as the European Union and the United Nations are now giving it their full attention - "sea blindness" in the minds of the population.
"The topic of maritime security tends to be neglected in our society." With these words, retired flotilla admiral Henning Bess opened his speech on maritime security policy in the 21st century in Potsdam in 2013. What was so jokingly described here is actually a problem that even the United Kingdom, Europe's strongest and largest seafaring nation, is at the mercy of. "Sea blindness" refers to the lack of sensitivity and awareness on the part of politicians and society for a country's maritime interests, combined with their significance for the economic context. It refers to the way in which the general public perceives the sea. Whether as a holiday destination, an energy and food resource or as a connecting route between countries and continents. Maritime issues do not receive much attention either in Germany or in Europe, even though they represent an important pillar of economic prosperity. People who have grown up far from the coast generally know little or nothing about the oceans, even though they cover around 70 per cent of the earth's surface. The reasons for this are very different. Maritime history, with disasters such as the sinking of the Titanic and numerous sea battles from Nelson to Skagerrak, led to the development of a certain reverence for the power of the sea. The images of the stranded cruise liner "Costa Concordia" went viral around the world, but they are usually only briefly in the media spotlight and in the public consciousness. Events like these make it difficult for the maritime community to communicate its own legitimacy. Anyone who thinks that "sea blindness" is a mosquito turned into an elephant is very much mistaken. The European Union's Common Maritime Security Strategy has recently been launched. However, instead of tackling the objectives of the maritime strategy together as an association of states in order to work as effectively and efficiently as possible, the main initiators are struggling with the problem of "sea blindness". In particular, states without a direct connection to the sea show no vital interest in maritime security at EU meetings, even though they are indirectly dependent on it.
When we talk about security policy, the image of military interventions is the main one that buzzes around in people's minds. Yet maritime security in particular encompasses far more than the deployment of grey ships to protect international sea routes. Illegal fishing, arms and people smuggling and the use of the sea as an energy resource are just a few examples from the field of maritime security policy. And yet the reason for the lack of interest lies in the issue itself, as a nation's maritime interests lie primarily in the spectrum of foreign and security policy. Not only is it already very difficult for the entire maritime sector to transport events and images from the high seas deep into the country in order to make maritime events understandable to citizens, politicians and the media. This process is made even more difficult by the fact that the deployment of the military can hardly be legitimised through communication. The use of force to enforce one's own interests has always been a sensitive issue in society. In Germany in particular, citizens are opposed to the use of military power and force, even if - as in the case of the Bundeswehr - it is mainly used to secure peace. What is done by the warships of the international navies in the world's sea areas is not only incomprehensible to citizens in the interior of the country, it is also simply of no interest to them. A Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips can certainly give an impression of the dangers posed by local piracy off the coast of Africa in the usual Hollywood manner, but a good film does nothing to change the fundamental attitude of the population.
But the question of how this attitude could be changed and - even more importantly - who should implement this change are crucial questions. Spinning a maritime narrative thread also means more than simply correcting the maritime image of palm trees and white beaches that prevails among citizens. The spun yarn must represent the legitimacy of maritime action and also integrate the economic and security policy aspects.
It gives the impression that the seafaring romance described by the old guard of the navy hardly drives anyone to serve their country on the high seas these days. The former fascination of marines and sailors to sail to the most distant countries and see the most beautiful harbours in the world has been over at least since airlines have been competing for passengers and cruise ships have their routes all over the world. With air fares so low that they allow even the broad middle class to fly almost anywhere, being a seafarer is losing its appeal. In addition, demographic change, which is prevalent everywhere, means that the increase in older generations, particularly in Europe, is leading to a considerable shortage of young seafarers. Nevertheless, almost every navy uniform wearer will be able to confirm that they are the centre of every family celebration with their stories about their time at sea. But what exactly constitutes the navy's raison d'être is often unclear to many relatives and friends. A few years ago, the Navy's Press and Information Centre launched a large-scale image campaign on behalf of the Navy leadership. With the slogan "Meer. For you.", the aim was to raise awareness of maritime activities deep inside the country. The specially defined messages essentially contain all relevant information.
- "Our prosperity depends largely on trade across the world's oceans."
- "Trade across the world's oceans requires safe sea routes."
- "A strong navy protects these sea routes."
It is difficult to say whether the campaign has been a success so far, and it is also difficult to determine. What has caused a stir, however, is one of the videos published by the campaign. It depicts the normal life of society without the existence of safe sea routes. The result is empty fruit stands in supermarkets, no petrol at the pumps and no consumer electronics. What certainly seems logical in theory, in reality caused some ridicule in the media and social networks. This was due to a sign in the video that read "No bananas today", which apparently had certain parallels with the food supply in the former German Democratic Republic. Now, average communications agencies may claim that negative PR can also lead to more awareness, but in this case in particular, public interest moved relatively quickly between the new stories of C-list celebrities and the weather forecast. The question therefore remains as to how to emerge from the depths of maritime disinterest. The Russian writer Tolstoy once symbolically said that you only learn to appreciate things when they are no longer there. However, it would be far more than unreasonable to close the German harbours for a day in order to demonstrate economic dependence on maritime security. This would certainly lead to the desired result, but would also have fatal consequences. Accordingly, this thread cannot be spun any further. Europe's economic dependencies on a rules-based and secure maritime space are proof that "sea blindness" is not a general problem of substance, but can be widely regarded as a communication problem. Therefore, the key could lie in the communication itself. Integrated and holistic communication management, as already applied by well-known PR agencies and large corporations, could also generate more awareness for maritime interests in the long term. With a loom, the components of which represent the entire toolkit of public relations and a thread consisting of the images and events of the maritime world, stories and campaigns could be created that are carried far inland. This can all be made possible with the use of a wide range of communication tools and appropriate messages.
What also remains is the opportunity to jump on the bandwagon that is already in motion and get involved with those who are already aware of the relevance of maritime security. In Germany in particular, these are the large companies that have allowed our country to grow into the economic global player that it is today. These are none other than Germany's automotive, steel and technology giants, for example. Without exception, they are dependent on the import of raw materials from overseas for the production of their economic goods. Some of them organise their own lectures and conferences on the subject of maritime security. If you take into account the number of employees tied to the companies, who can basically be regarded as the addressees of the presentations, the reach would be many times greater than that of the navy's previous communication activities. The result would be greater awareness among the broad mass of the population. If this proportion of citizens realises the dependencies at some point and they become a matter of interest to voters, the topic will automatically move into the field of interest of politicians and there would be a kind of domino effect.
The increasing importance attached to maritime security by the German government becomes particularly clear when looking at the new White Paper. It states: "The security of maritime supply routes and the guarantee of freedom of the high seas are of paramount importance for an export nation like Germany that is heavily dependent on maritime trade. Disruptions to our supply lines caused by piracy, terrorism and regional conflicts can have an impact on our country's prosperity." In conjunction with the European Union's new maritime security strategy, a clear trend reversal is recognisable here in terms of efforts to combat "sea blindness". A key point that must not be forgotten is the fact that maritime security on this scale is still a relatively new topic in the international community. Therefore, the second key to spinning a maritime narrative thread lies in time. As long as the prevailing "sea blindness" in Germany and Europe has not been overcome, the following applies: "If you don't understand the sea, there is no land in sight".
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German
For almost a decade, attempts have been made to give the German Navy a political voice through the task of "maritime security" hand in hand with the maritime industry. Mr Mundstock aptly summarises the discussion of the past. That is a merit. However, the article reads as if it had been written by the PIZ itself, unfortunately without any new insights or bold theses. That's a shame, because we won't be able to have a discussion like this. The effect remains absent.
If we have not succeeded in selling the message in the last 10 years, then we should not ask whether the medium or the way is right, but perhaps change the message. Are there no other tasks left for the navy?
Especially as the focus is dangerously one-sided. A strong German naval presence in the Horn of Africa could not prevent the hijacking of the Hansa Stavanger. Private security companies now provide the necessary and appropriate protection for a fraction of the cost! In the same way, private organisations operate more cost-effectively when rescuing refugees. The unique selling point is missing!
If we take on tasks from civilian institutions in (civilian) maritime security, then we will also have to compare ourselves with them. In the German territorial sea, others have the say in this area. And they will always emphasise how much better and more effective they are at performing maritime security tasks. Anyone who turns the wolf into a sheepdog will neither be able to effectively protect the herd nor lead the pack.
Good comment - in fact, this contribution seems to me to have less effect on those who are "already Catholic or confirmed" - and therefore not "sea-blind" - than that of the third prize-winner with her original ideas. Singing the same old song about maritime transport and its protection, which is needed to keep an efficient, import-dependent economy going, is also of no use to the "sea-blind" target group. Just like the Mogadishu liberation in a positive sense, an event such as the "Hansa Stavanger incident" has been engraved in their memory in a negative way. Not so much because hostages were taken in the first place, but rather why the German Navy not only failed in the rescue attempt, but also clearly did not have the necessary means to do so - and still does not have them...and does not have them in its concrete plans (JSS)...