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CGI of Australia’s new Air Warfare Destroyer.
Basing appears another difficult area. The Navy’s future surface fleet core is its big new amphibious ships, but to be operational they will rely on Army providing the essential landing force and ship-toshore helicopters. For historical reasons, and to utilise an existing maintenance facility, the Navy is reticent to homeport these ships anywhere else but increasingly crowded Sydney. However, the Army landing force and essential helicopters will be in Townsville, with its headquarters in Brisbane, making ongoing training and the development of effective doctrine and tactics difficult. Moreover, the US Marines who may be able to help with the development of an effective Australian amphibious force are in Darwin, obviously a long way from Sydney. The plan to homeport the LHDs in Sydney remote from half the ships’ combat crew and the necessary helicopters seems unlikely to ensure that the ADF gets the most effective amphibious force in the most efficient manner. This is not an easy matter but it needs to be addressed. Lastly, some are thinking about a ‘national fleet’ as other government departments like Customs build up their own maritime capabilities. It seems that Navy does not have to do everything and could instead focus on its key reason for being – warfighting – letting others take on policing and constabulary functions. Government’s maritime responsibilities could, as James Goldrick writes, “…be considered as a whole and properly divided and shared….” The new White Paper talks about replacing the Armidale patrol boats so well-used in North West Australia for border security missions. This may be a good time to transfer these current naval functions to another Department or perhaps to a coastguard. There is no inherent reason that Navy should forever undertake such policing roles, with the standing up of Border Protection Command a proven multi-agency civilian command and control organisation. A divestment of minor non-warfighting tasks would allow Navy to concentrate on its core missions and perhaps help address some of its well-known problems such as manning. At the end of the day is policing immigration laws where Navy wants to be? The Royal Australian Navy is confidently on the move bringing a whole new range of advanced capabilities into service. There are some important problems to overcome but none of a scale that the Navy has not managed in earlier times. Navies are in some respects like big ships that while slow to turn have great inertia once started. This may sum up the RAN as it enters a remarkable period of renewal and expansion.
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