| A2/Ad | anti-access/area denial |
| abf | Australian Border Force |
| aboc | Australia’s Border Operation Centre |
| adf | Australian Defence Force |
| admm-Plus | asean Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus |
| ais | automatic identification system |
| amsa | Australian Maritime Safety Authority |
| ancors | Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security |
| anu | Australian National University |
| apec | Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation |
| arf | asean Regional Forum |
| asean | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| asg | Abu Sayyaf Group |
| asw | anti-submarine warfare |
| ats | Antarctic Treaty System |
| bfar | Philippines Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources |
| bimco | Baltic and International Maritime Council |
| bimstec | Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation |
| bmp | Chinese Border Maritime Police |
| cbm | confidence-building measures |
| ccg | China Coast Guard |
| cmp | Centre for Maritime Policy [now ancors, University of Wollongong] |
| cms | China Marine Surveillance |
| cnes | National Centre for Space Studies (French: Centre national d’études spatiales) |
| CoC | Code of Conduct for the South China Sea |
| cop | Conference of the Parties |
| covid-19 | coronavirus disease 2019 |
| cscap | Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific |
| csis | Centre for Strategic and International Studies |
| cues | Code for Unplanned Encounters at se |
| doalos | Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea |
| DoC | Declaration on the Conduct of Parties for the South China Sea |
| drv | Democratic Republic of Vietnam |
| eas | East Asia Summit |
| eez | exclusive economic zone |
| EiS | Eyes in the Sky |
European Maritime Awareness in the Straits of Hormuz |
|
| fdi | foreign direct investment |
| flec | Chinese Fishery Law Enforcement Command |
| fmf | foreign military financing |
| foip | Free and Open Indo-pacific |
| fonops | freedom of navigation operations |
| franz | France-Australia-New Zealand arrangement |
| fy | financial year |
| gairs | generally accepted international rules and standards |
| gam | Gerakan Aceh Merdeka |
| gdp | gross domestic product |
| ghg | greenhouse gas |
| hadr | humanitarian assistance/disaster response |
| icp | United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (the Informal Consultative Process) |
| ics | International Chamber of Shipping |
| ilo | International Labour Organisation |
| imo | International Maritime Organisation |
| imac | Indian Navy Information Management and Analysis Centre |
| imb-prc | International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre |
| imo | International Maritime Organization |
| incsea | Agreement Between the USA and ussr on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas |
| ions | Indian Ocean Naval Symposium |
| ior | Indian Ocean region |
| iora | Indian Ocean Rim Association |
| ior-ifc | Indian Ocean Region – Information Fusion Centre |
| ipcc | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| ipoi | Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative |
| is | Islamic State |
| isro | Indian Space Research Organisation |
| iuu fishing | illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing |
| iwco | Independent World Commission on the Oceans |
| jda | joint development agreement |
| ji | Jemaah Islamiyah |
| jica | Japan International Cooperation Agency |
| jmsdf | Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force |
| ktoe | kiloton of oil equivalent |
| ldp | Liberal Democratic Party (of Japan) |
| lng | liquefied natural gas |
Law of the Sea Convention |
|
| malsindo | Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia |
| mda | maritime domain awareness |
| milf | Moro Islamic Liberation Front |
| mlc | Maritime Labour Convention |
| msa | Chinese Maritime Safety Administration |
| msp | Malacca Straits Patrols |
| mssp | Malacca Straits Sea Patrols |
| oda | official development assistance |
| oprf | Ocean Policy Research Foundation |
| passex | passing exercises |
| plan | People’s Liberation Army Navy |
| pn | Philippine Navy |
| pmc | Philippine Marine Corps |
| png-mg | Philippines National Police’s Maritime Group |
| psr | piracy and sea robbery |
| Quad | Quadrilateral Security Dialogue |
| raaf | Royal Australian Air Force |
| ran | Royal Australian Navy |
| ReCAAP | Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia |
| rmsi | Regional Maritime Security Initiative |
| rsis | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies |
| saarc | South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation |
| sagar | Security and Growth for All in the Region (sagar) |
| samsi | Southeast Asia Maritime Security Initiative |
| sar | search and rescue |
| sbsta | Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice |
| scat | Seafarer Crisis Action Team |
| sids | small island developing states |
| Singapore ifc | Singapore Information Fusion Centre |
| sloc | sea lane of communication |
| sop | standard operating procedures |
| tmp | Trilateral Maritime Patrols |
| uda | underwater domain awareness |
| unclos | United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea |
| unclos iii | Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea |
| unctad | United Conference on Trade and Development |
| unesco | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| unfccc | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
United States Agency for International Development |
|
| ussr | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics |
| vcg | Vietnam Coast Guard |
| vcp | Vietnam’s Communist Party |
| vpn | Vietnam People’s Army |
| who | World Health Organization |
| wpns | Western Pacific Naval Symposium |