Australian Maritime Issues 2007 - Royal Australian Navy

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Australia’s Naval Contribution to Regional Maritime Security Cooperation Mr Andrew Forbes Regional stability is vital to Australia’s national security and given the maritime nature of South East Asia, security operations have a predominantly naval focus. Critically, South East Asia contains the major international sea lanes for regional and global seaborne trade, while also having a complicated maritime geography, adjoining territorial seas, and unresolved boundary delimitation issues. The trunk route between Europe and North Asia must pass through the Malacca Strait, where it branches out through Hong Kong northwards to East Asia or the west coast of the United States (US), or branches out southwards from Singapore to the Australian ports. For this reason, events in South East Asia also assume global significance if seaborne trade is disrupted or threatened. This paper examines the Australian naval contribution to regional maritime security cooperation and comprises four sections. First, the paper examines Australia’s defence policy framework to provide the strategic rationale for regional activities, before considering the development of international engagement policies and how they influence Royal Australian Navy (RAN) regional activities. Second, it looks at the broad range of RAN regional activities and considers what they aim to achieve. Third, the paper briefly examines regional maritime security concerns before considering initiatives to meet these concerns. Defence Policy Framework The key defence policy document is a white paper, usually developed every six to seven years as directed by government. White papers examine the broad issues of overall defence policy, revise strategic priorities and provide options to government on managing defence capabilities within the context of the current and future strategic environment. White papers project up to a 15-year timeframe to describe the key international trends that will shape Australia’s strategic environment, and to explain how the different elements of defence policy will develop to meet these challenges. A strategic review is prepared every three years with a three to five-year outlook, assessing any influences on strategic interests and the implications for the capabilities and readiness of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in the medium term. These reviews are a primary document supporting the development of a white paper. Over the past few years, Defence Updates have been issued in lieu of strategic reviews.
44 AUSTRALIAN MARITIME ISSUES 2007: SPC-A ANNUAL Review of Australia’s Defence Capabilities The 1980s were a watershed in the development of an independent Australian defence policy. The Department of Defence was unable to reach consensus on an overall defence policy, as there was major disagreement over the appropriate structure and roles of the Australian Army. In 1985 the government commissioned an external review by Paul Dibb to assess Australia’s forward planning, determine defence capability requirements, and develop a costed force structure plan for the next 10 years. The Review of Australia’s Defence Capabilities was released in 1986. 1 The review noted that some of the difficulty in defining national security interests was because there was no threat upon which to focus concerns. Australian national security became one of stating what had to be prevented rather than one that would promote Australian security. 2 In the absence of a defined national security policy, the review defined Australia’s national security interests as: • the avoidance of global conflict • the maintenance of a favourable strategic situation in South East Asia and the South Pacific generally; this is Australia’s sphere of primary strategic interest where developments can affect our national security; it covers more than 20 per cent of the earth’s surface • the promotion of a sense of strategic community between Australia and its neighbours: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the nearby island states of the South West Pacific and New Zealand (NZ); this is Australia’s area of direct military interest where we should aim to be able to apply independently military power; it accounts for almost 10 per cent of the earth’s surface • the defence of Australian territory and society from threat of military attack • the protection of Australian interests in the surrounding maritime environment, including our overseas territories and proximate sea lines of communication and focal points. 3 The defence policy proposed by the review was a strategy of denial that was, in essence, a defensive policy that would seek to deny any enemy the ability to cross the sea-air gap surrounding Australia and to prevent the landing of any forces on Australian territory. The denial strategy would involve a series of layered defences through which an enemy would have to pass before reaching Australia: • intelligence and surveillance to know about regional military developments and to detect any threat approaching Australia • a maritime force of air and naval assets to destroy an enemy in the sea-air gap; this means a refocusing to the north, and for a higher level of conflict, the ability to strike an adversary’s bases and interdicting his lines of supply
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