The aim of this workshop is to assess the future maritime environment in Asia, including maritime developments over the next decade, shifts in the maritime balance of power, and particular threats and challenges in the maritime domain. In a dynamic strategic environment, such as we have in the region at present, it is useful to step back from current events and try to look at the implications of current strategic trends and where they are heading. The geographical scope of the workshop’s considerations will be East Asia, the Western Pacific, South Asia and northern Indian Ocean (hereafter “the region”) —or what is now often referred to as the Indo-Pacific, but omitting the Eastern Pacific and Gulf sub-regions.