Digital Economy Secretary Waruna Sri Dhanapala at RCSS Strategic Dialogue: ‘Maritime Security and the Digital Economy should no longer be treated as separate policy areas’

Minister of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala addressed the RCSS Strategic Dialogue, asserting that maritime security and the digital economy should no longer be viewed as separate policy domains. This observation was made during the keynote speech at the event titled "Navigating the Digital and Maritime Nexus: Technology, Sovereignty, and Security," which took place on 8 September 2026.

The dialogue aimed to continue the discussions from the recently concluded RCSS Policy Study, which explored non-traditional security challenges in the Bay of Bengal and the role of emerging technologies.

Dhanapala emphasized that the digital economy is dependent on the physical world, particularly for island and coastal states like Sri Lanka, where the physical environment is overwhelmingly maritime. He identified several areas where Sri Lanka's maritime and technological interests intersect, such as seabed resources, offshore energy, shipbuilding and repair, and submarine communications infrastructure.

The Secretary stressed the importance of developing domestic technological capabilities while collaborating with international partners in a manner that safeguards national interests and adheres to environmental safeguards. In his role as Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), he highlighted the strategic significance of submarine fibre-optic cables for Sri Lanka's digital economy and advocated for the protection and monitoring of these cables within the country's maritime security framework.

Dhanapala also highlighted the importance of technology in addressing environmental security concerns, including maritime pollution and oil spills. Additionally, he recalled his diplomatic role in the UN system, serving as the Vice Chair for the UN General Assembly Committee on Economic and Financial Affairs and contributing to the development of Sustainable Development Goals. He stressed the significance of active collaboration among coastal and island states in response to unprecedented climate scenarios.

The dialogue, chaired by Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha, featured presentations and discussions involving serving and retired senior public officials, diplomats, security force personnel, academics, researchers, technology and maritime practitioners, civil society representatives, and other stakeholders. The session aimed to examine the evolving technological aspects of maritime security and their implications for Sri Lanka.

Ambassador (Retd.) Ravinatha Aryasinha opened the event by welcoming the Acting Ambassador of Nepal to Sri Lanka, Vijay Kumar Raut, who delivered a briefing on the flood-related tragedy in Nepal and its regional implications. The funeral of the victims was observed with a moment of silence. In his presentation, Shayan Peris explored the dual role of emerging technologies in enhancing maritime security capabilities while simultaneously introducing new vulnerabilities and dependencies.

He discussed the evolution of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) from traditional vessel tracking to the integration of AIS, radar, satellite imagery, and artificial intelligence for detecting anomalous activities and facilitating more targeted responses.

Peris also examined the convergence between maritime and digital security, focusing on cyber vulnerabilities' impact on ports and critical infrastructure, the resilience of submarine cable networks, and the increasing utilization of unmanned and autonomous systems for surveillance, fisheries monitoring, pollution response, and search and rescue operations.

He stressed that for resource-constrained nations like Sri Lanka, the primary challenge lies not in acquiring advanced technologies but in building the necessary institutional capacity to integrate information, maintain expertise, and act upon it. Peris emphasized that technological resilience depends on operational cyber security, resilient connectivity, effective information-sharing, and appropriate governance frameworks for artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.

Following the presentations, an open discussion addressed the practical challenges of converting technological systems into effective maritime security measures. Participants identified gaps in the sustainability of surveillance and information-sharing systems, the high cost of external platforms, and difficulties in retaining trained personnel and institutional knowledge within agencies. They also explored the opportunities and limitations of regional collaborations in addressing these challenges.