Deep Discussions in the City of Dreams

The COE CSW was joined by over 100 participants from 30 different NATO and partner nations for this year’s Operational Maritime Law Conference. The event continues the trend of becoming larger and larger with more nations participating. Meanwhile this unique forum has evolved the largest legal convention within the Alliance and constitutes one of our regular flagship events.

This year the Conference was hosted by the Austrian Armed Forces National Defence Academy and took place in the historic city of Vienna from 25-28 September. Once again, the event provided an opportunity to discuss and to study relevant legal matters and challenges among experts more in depth in order to develop mutually agreeable solutions which may support current operations and contribute to the planning and executing of prospective operations. The emerging and critical issues and topics discussed this year included intelligence and ISR, cyber at sea, migration and refugee flows on the maritime tactical level, and flags of convenience.

The COE CSW received outstanding support and an unprecedented level of hospitality from the Austrian Armed Forces.  The “City of Dreams” offered an excellent backdrop for this year’s event. Participants were graciously invited to a formal banquet at The Museum of Military History which offered multiple exhibits highlighting Austrian’s former Navy. A guided tram ride was also organized to explore and learn about the rich history of the city.

The COE CSW will continue with our activities on Operational Maritime Law. We proudly announce the 6th Conference which will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark from 23-27 September 2018.

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