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U.S. Indo-Pacific Command's International Military Operations and Law Conference 

-- RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS -

MILOPS 2022 - Executive Summary

The relationships that were created or strengthened at the 33rd Annual International Military

Operations and Law Conference have value.

The substantive information provided also had value. 

But, it is our activity in the future that is the true measure of effectiveness for the success of this 

conference. A record of proceedings is provided in order to further enhance the development of 

consensus on legal issues impacting the region as well as to stimulate thought for further 

activities that would advance common ends to promote adherence to the rules-based international 

order and deter and counter any activities that would undermine this order. 

This record of proceedings is a summary of the events of this conference as well as our 

assessment of key takeaways and resolutions we have made going forward. Any 

mischaracterizations below are unintentional and the result of our oversight. Please contact me 

directly to ensure any necessary corrections.

I look forward to your feedback as we continue to strengthen our legal partnerships and the rules 

based international order in this region. 

 /s/

 D. D. FLATT

 Captain, U.S. Navy 

 Staff Judge Advocate 

 U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

 dom.flatt@pacom.mil
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Background

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command hosted the 33rd Annual Military Operations and Law Conference 

(MILOPS 2022) from August 14-18, 2022, in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme of MILOPS 2022

was “Strengthening Legal Partnerships to Uphold the Rule of Law – Tools for Peace, Stability, 

and a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.” 

Returning after a two-year hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, conference attendance 

was limited in comparison to past years due to health and safety protocols. Despite such 

limitations, MILOPS 2022 brought together over 100 senior military leaders, government 

officials, legal advisors, and academics from more than 20 allied and partner nations from 

throughout the Indo-Pacific and beyond to discuss key aspects of international law, military 

cooperation, and the importance of the rules-based international order to a free and open IndoPacific.

Participating nations included Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the Federated States of 

Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New 

Guinea, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Republic of Palau, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, 

Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also sent delegates.

MILOPS 2022 consisted of four days of substantive lectures, presentations, and panels, which 

included question-and-answer sessions, bi-lateral and multi-lateral engagements on the margins, 

and informal conversations during breaks and at social events. Whilst there was no explicit call 

for participants to agree on a set of pronouncements, discussion converged around certain issues

and shared sentiments, to include: 

• The importance of the rules-based international order in preserving peace and prosperity 

in the Indo-Pacific, exemplified by the concept of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific; 

• The need for legal advisors to forge ties at the person-to-person level to help build 

consensus among states and organizations to uphold the rule of law, and to collectively 

oppose attempts to erode the rules-based international order; 

• The growing threat to the rules-based international order posed by revisionist powers 

who rely on coercion, including “lawfare,” political warfare, disinformation, and other 

gray zone tactics that undermine basic rights like freedom of navigation and selfdetermination; 
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• The danger posed by illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing as an affront to 

international law that merits cooperation to challenge offending nations; 

• The need for partnerships, alliances, agreements, and new cooperative endeavors to

counter and delegitimize malicious actors who are advancing narratives that erode longstanding international law principles and norms. 

MILOPS 22 also highlighted areas that merit further engagement to forge greater consensus. 

While the below is not intended to be exhaustive, it summarizes key takeaways from MILOPS 

2022. 

Day 1: Legal Partnerships as a Strategic Imperative in Support of the Rules-Based 

International Order. Introducing the theme of the conference, Captain Dom Flatt, U.S. Navy, 

the Staff Judge Advocate for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, emphasized the role of conferences 

like MILOPS 2022 as a tool to strengthen peer-to-peer connections. He emphasized how such 

connections are a powerful vector to overcome attempts to sow division, placing legal 

partnerships in the context of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s mission and the United States’ 

enduring commitment to the region. 

Captain Narupon Joytongmool, Deputy Director, Legislation Division, Office of the Naval Judge 

Advocate of the Royal Thai Navy, presented opening remarks on behalf of the host nation. 

Captain Narupon noted that MILOPS 2022 was consistent with the commitment to advance 

people-to-people ties between Thailand and the United States expressed in a 10 July 2022 joint 

communique issued by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Thai Deputy Prime 

Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. 

Building off the host’s comments, Mr. James Wayman, the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission for 

the U.S. Embassy in Thailand, noted that legal advisors serve as the connective tissue between 

diplomatic and military affairs. He emphasized that every state in the region—including those

not represented at MILOPS 2022—have historically benefitted from a rules-based international 

order and every nation will suffer if the rules-based international order erodes. 

Admiral John C. Aquilino, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, also provided opening 

remarks. He stressed that all nations had an interest in maintaining the rules-based international 

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #1

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE KEEN 

TO STRENGTHEN LEGAL RELATIONS AS A MEANS TO UPHOLD THE RULE OF LAW AND 

THE RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER.
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order, which provided a shared bedrock of prosperity and security in the region. He thanked 

participants for their engagement, stating that “strengthening our shared understanding and 

building consensus on key components of international law is necessary work, and I am grateful 

that you have assembled for this purpose.”

Following an official photo among participants, Vice Admiral Darse E. “Del” Crandall, the 

Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Navy, and Department of Defense Representative for Ocean 

Policy Affairs, defined the rules-based international order as "a reflection of the world’s shared 

aspiration for a mutually beneficial system based on the rule of law where goods, ideas, and 

people may flow freely." He contrasted this with a system where states promote their unilateral 

interests at the expense of others, using coercion and pressure to extract concessions. He 

emphasized that when the rules-based international order requires refinement, it must be done 

cooperatively and peacefully, including through a global team of legal experts who leverage 

partnerships to develop aligned positions, identify gaps, converge around shared positions, and 

mitigate gaps between interpretations. 

Captain Flatt, U.S. Navy, then provided a strategic overview of threats to the rules-based 

international order in the region. He emphasized that competition in the region is not between 

one or more states. It is between two competing visions for the international order. One is based 

on cooperation and commitment, the other on coercion and "might make right." 

Colonel Masaaki Abe, Chief of Legal Affairs of the Japanese Self Defense Force, recounted the 

role of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in promoting the concept of a “Free and 

Open Indo-Pacific.” Colonel Abe reaffirmed Japan’s openness to engage with any country 

which shares a vision of a peaceful and cooperative rules-based international order. 

Commentators agreed that the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” is a useful orienting principle for 

discussions. 

Professor Neil S. Silva of the University of the Philippines College of Law’s Institute for 

Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea broadened conference participants’ understanding of 

what the term “rules-based international order” means and how the term may be operationalized. 

He emphasized that it extends beyond international law to a shared set of norms. He noted, “if

you focus only on law, law can be outflanked.” 

Professor Raul “Pete” Pedrozo of the U.S. Naval War College’s Stockton Center for 

International Law gave a thought-provoking presentation on recent efforts to erode the rulesbased international order. He re-emphasized the bedrock principle that all nations enjoy highseas freedoms of navigation and overflight in international waters. Efforts to advance alternative 
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legal regimes that undermine navigational rights and freedoms afforded to all nations—including 

excessive straight baseline claims and other excessive maritime claims—are legally baseless. 

Day 1 ended with a keynote from Mr. Robert Harris, Assistant Legal Advisor for East Asia and 

Pacific Affairs at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of the Legal Adviser. Mr. Harris 

provided insights on recent excessive maritime claims in the Indo-Pacific. He detailed the 

meticulous research and analysis that went into the U.S. State Department’s January 2022 Limits 

in the Seas #150 publication and its state practice supplement, debunking assertions that have no 

basis in the law of the sea or customary international law. He noted that the chorus of countries 

disputing maritime claims by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea since 2016 

show how egregious such claims are considering the standards enshrined in the United Nations 

Convention on the Law of the Sea, and how high the stakes are when excessive claims threaten 

the integrity of the law of the sea. 

Day 2: Recognizing and Countering Malign Activities

Day 2 provided a granular focus on specific means and domains that malicious actors are using 

to undermine the rules-based international order to advance their objectives. 

Professor Silva returned to discuss navigation rights and freedoms in the South China and East 

China Seas and Taiwan Strait. He emphasized that exclusive economic zones (EEZs) are 

economic, not security zones, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary 

international law. Professor Silva proposed that parties committed to preserving respect for the 

law of the sea in the Indo-Pacific region should maximize, expand, and in some ways resurrect

existing bilateral and multilateral arrangements to resist pressure campaigns of “gray zone” 

activity. As an example, he referenced the 1954 Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty (also 

known as the “Manila Pact”) of the former Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). 

Professor Silva noted that the Manila Pact accounts for activity that endangers the peace but does 

not necessarily rise to the level of an armed attack or use of force under international law, citing 

this lower threshold for what merits a collective response as a model to emulate. 

Day 2 next featured a panel on illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. IUU fishing is 

a direct affront to international law and merits robust legal cooperation to ensure information 

sharing and enforcement efforts. Participants from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maritime Institute 

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #2

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS SHARE 

MANY COMMON VIEWPOINTS ON THE RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER AND 

ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN PRESERVING PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC.
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of Malaysia, and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Palau highlighted the threat that IUU 

poses in Oceania. For small island nations with large exclusive economic zones, IUU fishing is a 

threat to their sovereignty. Enforcement challenges require partnerships with other states for 

resource sharing, along with the authorities necessary to share information and prosecute 

offenders.

Ms. Cleo Pascal, Non-Resident Senior Fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense 

of Democracies, continued the focus on the way in which malign activities undermine 

sovereignty in Oceania. Drawing on the maxim that geography determines history, Ms. Pascal 

argued that geopolitics, geo-economics, and geophysical changes caused by climate disruption 

are remaking geography, especially in the Indo-Pacific. She noted efforts by the People’s 

Republic of China to use a variety of commercial, strategic, and illicit means to engender 

dependency among smaller nations. To counter such practices, she noted that throughout the 

region, “there are people of great courage and fortitude ready to stand up to coercive practices.” 

Ms. Pascal added that one solution is for like-minded states to tackle the issue of corruption, 

which inevitably follows the influx of large sums of foreign capital into small but strategically 

located island states. 

Air Commodore Christopher Robson of the Royal Australian Air Force, currently assigned to 

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, provided an overview of military engagement in the region, with a 

focus on cooperative exercises. Examples from recent years exemplify the value of wideranging partnerships to ensure interoperability. 

Day 2 also convened a panel of experts from the University of Exeter, De La Salle University, 

the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, on the threat of gray 

zone operations. Speakers highlighted the danger of gray zone or hybrid actions meant to erode 

the rules-based international order that underpins the free and open Indo-Pacific. Participants 

and observers agreed that the peaceful status quo based on long-standing rules and norms is 

threatened by revisionist expansion and “gray-zone” coercion. Attendees agreed on the need to 

build and enforce codes of conduct; consolidate understandings of international law concepts 

abused by gray zone actors; maintain persistent presence through cooperation; name and shame

violators; and utilize multilateral fora to oppose “divide and conquer” strategies by coercive 

states. 

Filling in on short notice, Professor Kerry K. Gershaneck, a visiting scholar in Bangkok, gave a 

provocative, rousing lecture on the role that political warfare plays in the strategy of the People’s 

Republic of China. While not all participants concurred with Professor Gershaneck’s underlying 

assumptions and pronouncements, there seemed to be consensus that states must be prepared to 

recognize and renounce malign activities that fall under the umbrella of political warfare. 
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Day 2 ended with a keynote from U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Cyber 

Policy, Ms. Mieke Eoyang. DASD Eoyang highlighted the critical importance of allies and 

partners in cyber security cooperation to defend against cyber-attacks, identify vulnerabilities, 

and strengthen efforts to hold malicious actors accountable. DASD Eoyang emphasized that 

cyberspace is more than just a domain for military operations, stating “there is life in this domain 

that we as national security professionals are trying to protect and preserve.” She noted that

“cyber is an enabling arena” for a range of military and civilian activities that cross borders. She 

previewed that the forthcoming updated U.S. cybersecurity strategy will reemphasize the 

importance of allies and partners. Like-minded nations must continue to work together to 

preserve peace, protect shared networks, and maintain resilience in the face of urgent threats to 

critical infrastructure by malicious actors. DASD Eoyang’s comments stimulated a robust 

question-and-answer session on cooperation and conflict in cyberspace. 

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #3

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS NOTED THAT 

ILLEGAL, UNREGULATED, AND UNREPORTED FISHING IS A DIRECT AFFRONT TO 

INTERNATIONAL LAW AND MERITS ROBUST LEGAL COOPERATION TO ENSURE 

INFORMATION SHARING AND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.

MILOPS 22 - KEY TAKEAWAY #4

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 

COMMENTED ON THE NEED TO BUILD AND ENFORCE CODES OF CONDUCT, 

CONSOLIDATE UNDERSTANDINGS OF INTERNATONAL LAW CONCEPTS ABUSED IN 

THE GRAY ZONE, AND NAME AND SHAME VIOLATORS.

MILOPS 22 - RESOLUTION #1

MILOPS PLANNERS RESOLVED TO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF CORRUPTION AND 

ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS IN THE 34TH ANNUAL MILOPS CONFERENCE.
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Day 3: New Frontiers of Legal Collaboration and Competition

Day 3 continued to look forward to emerging areas of law, with a focus on practical ways to 

build consensus and lay the groundwork for multi-lateral cooperation in support of the rulesbased international order. 

Professor Dale Stephens, Director of the Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics at Adelaide 

University and Chair of the Woomera Project Governance Board kicked off Day 3 discussing the 

new legal frontier of space, specifically the application of treaties and customary international 

law to military and civilian activity in space. “Space superiority is the future of warfare. The 

high ground is space.” He previewed the Woomera Manual on the International Law of Military 

Space Activities and Operations. The consultative process by which the Woomera Manual has 

sought a wide range of inputs, notably on state practice, presents a model by which to build 

consensus and clearly articulate gaps in the law. 

This was followed by a presentation on the importance of the information environment by Dr. 

Jacob Wallis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s (ASPI) International Policy Centre. 

Dr. Wallis serves as ASPI’s Head of Program for Information Operations and Disinformation. 

Dr. Wallis articulated the critical importance of partnerships between government and industry in 

combating transnational disinformation and attributing malicious behavior to malign actors. Dr. 

Wallis proposed the establishment of an Indo-Pacific hybrid threat center to marshal resources 

and expertise to counter the growing threat of disinformation. He used case studies to show how 

disinformation is used as a form of political warfare. Placing disinformation in the context of 

erosion of the rules-based international order, Dr. Wallis emphasized that disinformation is not 

just about transmitting false information, it is also about transnational digital repression, power 

projection, and imposing costs on those who oppose coercion. 

Mr. Stephen Hunnewell, the first Information Director for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, provided 

insight into how information is operationalized in the context of military operations. His points 

on the value of speed and first-mover advantage in the information domain underscored the need 

for like-minded states to recalibrate both the authorities that underlie their use of information and 

their risk calculus in the information domain. 

Day 3 was highlighted by a panel on “lawfare” and counter-lawfare in legal operations with 

experts from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, National Defense University, and NATO. The 

speakers presented definitions and taxonomies of lawfare, described tools used in counterlawfare efforts, and stressed the need to form lawfare coordination mechanisms among allies and 

partners. One speaker framed the urgent need to conceptualize law as a contested domain by 

stating, “law, like any other weapon, can be used for good or evil. We are not using it enough for 

good.” The panel led to a robust question-and-answer session. Participants echoed the sentiment 
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of the panelists that sophisticated uses of lawfare by revisionist powers requires a robust counterlawfare response. 

Captain Ian Park of the United Kingdom Royal Navy followed this up with a lecture on the UK’s 

“tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific. He utilized examples of cooperative initiatives, recent 

deployments, and ongoing legal disputes in the region involving the United Kingdom to argue 

that economic, military, and other strategic factors all necessitate greater engagement in the 

Indo-Pacific. 

Ms. Lauren Shneier, Acting Director of International Government Agreements and 

Arrangements at the Australian Department of Defence, continued the theme of providing 

examples of how legal interoperability contributes to operational effectiveness. She provided 

examples of bespoke international agreements adding efficiency to cooperative defense 

activities. She concluded by proposing areas where like-minded states can continue to 

streamline cooperation on international agreements and related instruments. 

Day 3 concluded with a historically informed presentation on the United States’ One-China 

Policy concerning the unresolved status of Taiwan. The lecture dissected the diversity of “OneChina” policies among other states and illustrated how One-China policies differ in marked 

contrast from the People’s Republic of China’s stated One-China Principle. In a question-andanswer session, conference attendees reiterated the importance of self-determination under 

international law and the bedrock commitment of all to peaceful dispute resolution. 

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #5

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS MUST 

CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO PRESERVE PEACE, PROTECT SHARED NETWORKS, 

AND MAINTAIN RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF URGENT THREATS TO CRITICAL 

INFRASTRUCTURE BY MALICIOUS ACTORS.

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #6

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 

ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SOPHISTICATED USE OF LAWFARE REQUIRES A 

COORDINATED COUNTER-LAWFARE RESPONSE.
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Day 4: Operationalizing Legal Partnerships

Day 4 focused on how legal partnerships enhance peace and stability through military operations, 

offering concise pathways for allies and partners to act on the conference’s overarching theme. 

Air Commodore Robson returned to provide an operators’ perspective on how legal 

practitioners, when appropriately integrated into military exercise planning cycles, help build 

scenarios by which militaries train to respond to challenges to the rules-based international order. 

He highlighted examples which account for human rights violations and women, peace, and 

security. 

In a dual-presentation, Ms. Grace Corbiau, Director of the Australian Defense Force’s IndoPacific Centre for Military Law and Lieutenant Colonel Shessy Davis from U.S. Indo-Pacific 

Command revisited the strategic value of person-to-person relationships among legal advisors. 

They provided concrete suggestions by which participants could use legal partnerships to protect, 

build, and defend the legal infrastructure that supports the free and open Indo-Pacific. Among 

these suggestions was the combined development of a public facing website where multi-lateral 

legal positions on important aspects of the Rule of Law can be articulated (e.g. Tactical Aids, 

professional articles, legal opinions, etc); combined training opportunities within the Indo-Pacific 

region; and the development of a regional legal contact directory.

MILOPS 22 - RESOLUTION #2

MILOPS PLANNERS RESOLVED TO DEVELOP A PUBLIC FACING WEBSITE WHERE 

MULTILATERAL LEGAL POSITIONS ON IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE RULE OF LAW 

CAN BE ARTICULATED, TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES PUBLICIZED AND CONTACT 

INFORMATION FOR LEGAL ADVISORS ACROSS THE REGION ARE DISSEMINATED.

MILOPS 22 – KEY TAKEAWAY #7

LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS CONCURRED 

THAT A BEDROCK PRINCIPLE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IS THE COMMITMENT TO 

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES.
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Finally, to close MILOPS 2022, a distinguished panel of senior uniformed legal advisors,

representing their respective military legal services, from the United States, the United Kingdom, 

Australia, India, and Japan reflected on the conference and areas for future cooperation. One 

participant noted that a unified commitment to the rule of law is a form of deterrence, elevating 

the cost for would-be aggressors and helping to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region. Another 

committed to providing staff effort to aid in the building of stronger partnerships between 

national legal offices. Yet another observed that opportunities for exchange among legal advisors 

will pay tremendous dividends over time and encouraged participants to share such opportunities 

following the conference. One participant added that despite all the achievements of MILOPS 

2022, much work remained for participants to develop common positions on divergent areas of 

international law and bring those to their governments, to facilitate engagements at the national 

and strategic level. 

Beyond MILOPS 2022: Sustaining Legal Partnerships, Building Shared Consensus

MILOPS 2022 accomplished its primary goal: strengthening legal partnerships to uphold the rule 

of law in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, with a focus on building connections at the 

person-to-person level. Participants agreed that two necessary next steps are to sustain these 

peer-to-peer connections and to use these connections to build consensus around shared legal 

positions and norms at the military-to-military and government-to-government level. 

MILOPS 2022 accomplished its secondary goal of re-starting an event that has taken place 

annually since 1986, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. IndoPacific Command is in the process of arranging for the 34th Annual MILOPS, to be held in 2023. 

Staff from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command expressed their support not only to continue to 

strengthen legal partnerships in the context of future MILOPS conferences, but in support of 

similar events and exchanges organized by partners and allies. 

Overall, the ability for MILOPS 2022 to bring together uniformed and civilian government legal 

advisors, academics, and representatives of non-governmental organizations helped sustain the 

connective tissue of the rules-based international order. Participants look forward to building on 

this progress through future engagements. 

MILOPS 22 - RESOLUTION #3

MILOPS PLANNERS RESOLVED TO SUPPORT EVENTS AND EXCHANGES ORGANIZED BY 

PARTNERS AND ALLIES
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Annexes

A. Senior National Representation - MILOPS 22

B. Photo Highlights - MILOPS 22

C. Key Takeaways and Resolutions 

Annex A

Senior National Representation – MILOPS 22

AIRCDRE Patrick Keane DGMLS-ADF Australia

LCDR Elizabeth Steele DJAG Canada

CMDR Aisake Rabuku A/DALS Fiji

Mr. Tim Brown RC - ASFP ICRC

CAPT Gurpeet Khurana DS-INWC India

CAPT Dedi Susilo LSO-IN Indonesia

COL Eiji Nozaki LAG-MOD Japan

Mr. Abdullah Ariff PA Malaysia

CAPT Abdulla Ismail Maldives

COL Gombosuran Enkhbold LA-CLD Mongolia

Mr. Joses Gallen SEC JUSTICE FSM

Mr. Andrés Mosquera DACO/SHAPE NATO

BGEN Jeeban Dahal JAG-Army Nepal

LTCOL Matt Harding DLS New Zealand

Mr. Neil Silva LO-IMA Philippines

CMDR Jaeho Han CNOL-OJA Republic Korea

AG Ernestine Rengiil AG-MJ Republic Palau

Mr. Leong Ian DLS Singapore

COL Jayantha Senanayake SSO-LAO Sri Lanka

CAPT Narupon Joytongmool DDLD-ONJA Thailand

AVM Tamara Jennings DLS-RAF UK

ADM John Aquilino COM-INDOPACOM US

Ms. Mieke Eoyang DASD-CP US

Ms. Carrie Ricci GC-US Army US

VADM Darse Crandall TJAG-N US

Dr Nguyen Son VP-DAV Vietnam
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Annex B

Photo Highlights – MILOPS 22

Questions on ‘Erosion of International Norms’ – Day 1
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Expert International Panel on IUU fishing – Day 2

Expert International Panel on Gray Zone Operations – Day 2
15

Strengthening legal partnerships in the breaks – Day 3

Senior Lawyer Multinational Panel – Day 4
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Group Photo MILOPS 22

Annex C

KEY TAKEAWAYS AND RESOLUTIONS FROM THE 33RD ANNUAL MILITARY 

OPERATIONS AND LAW CONFERENCE, BANGKOK, THAILAND, 14-18 AUGUST 2022

1. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE KEEN TO 

STRENGTHEN LEGAL RELATIONS AS A MEANS TO UPHOLD THE RULE OF LAW AND THE 

RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER.

2. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS SHARE MANY 

COMMON VIEWPOINTS ON THE RULES-BASED INTERNATIONAL ORDER AND ITS 

EFFECTIVENESS IN PRESERVING PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC.

3. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS NOTED THAT 

ILLEGAL, UNREGULATED, AND UNREPORTED FISHING IS A DIRECT AFFRONT TO 

INTERNATIONAL LAW AND MERITS ROBUST LEGAL COOPERATION TO ENSURE 

INFORMATION SHARING AND ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS.

4. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 

COMMENTED ON THE NEED TO BUILD AND ENFORCE CODES OF CONDUCT,

CONSOLIDATE UNDERSTANDINGS OF INTERNATONAL LAW CONCEPTS ABUSED IN THE 

GRAY ZONE, AND NAME AND SHAME VIOLATORS.

5. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS MUST 

CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER TO PRESERVE PEACE, PROTECT SHARED NETWORKS, 

AND MAINTAIN RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF URGENT THREATS TO CRITICAL 

INFRASTRUCTURE BY MALICIOUS ACTORS.

6. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS 

ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE SOPHISTICATED USE OF LAWFARE REQUIRES A 

COORDINATED COUNTER-LAWFARE RESPONSE.

7. LEGAL ADVISORS FROM PARTICIPATING NATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS CONCURRED 

THAT A BEDROCK PRINCIPLE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IS THE COMMITMENT TO 

PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES.
17

USINDOPACOM MILOPS PLANNERS RESOLVED

1. TO INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF CORRUPTION AND ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS IN THE 

34TH ANNUAL MILOPS CONFERENCE.

2. TO DEVELOP A PUBLIC FACING WEBSITE WHERE MULTILATERAL LEGAL POSITIONS ON 

IMPORTANT ASPECTS OF THE RULE OF LAW CAN BE ARTICULATED, TRAINING 

OPPORTUNITIES PUBLICIZED AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR LEGAL ADVISORS 

ACROSS THE REGION ARE DISSEMINATED.

3. TO SUPPORT EVENTS AND EXCHANGES ORGANIZED BY PARTNERS AND ALLIES