Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) should be viewed as a subset of a broader Multi-Domain Awareness (MuDA) framework, according to experts from the Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPSS).
In their latest Expert View, Group Captain Vivek Naik, Senior Fellow, CAPSS, and Associate Fellow Radhey Tambi outlined a framework for integrating awareness across the maritime domain and beyond.
The experts said MuDA should integrate information from six principal operational domains — land, maritime, air, space, cyber and electromagnetic — while information and cognitive effects act as cross-cutting dimensions connecting and influencing multiple domains.
They emphasised that the objective is not merely to collect or display larger volumes of information, but to correlate seemingly separate observations to help decision-makers identify patterns, understand relationships, assess intent and take timely, informed decisions.
The approach, they argued, can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the operating environment and strengthen decision-making across the maritime and wider security domains.
