May 2012, Issue 166 - Royal New Zealand Navy

YOURS AYE
by rear admiral tony parr, Chief of Navy
‘Sea blindness’ is a term that has been much bandied
about in recent years in high-level discussions about
maritime security. It means a lack of appreciation of
the vital role Naval power plays to ensure maritime
security and economic prosperity on the world’s oceans
and waterways.
Are we guilty of sea blindness in New Zealand? It would be nonsense
to say that the sea doesn’t matter to us – there’s no escaping we are
an island nation. Is it not our God-given right to swim in the sea, surf
its waves, set boats afloat on it, fish in it and exploit it for the mineral
wealth it holds on and under its bed?
Despite our awareness of these matters it often seems the public are
more focused on matters such as environmental issues and lawlessness
at sea than on the broader strategic, economic and geo-political issues.
As a result there is a tendency to focus on our ‘green water’ and ‘brown
water’ fleets that are employed in coastal and constabulary tasks, not
the ‘blue water’ role we have played for many years.
This focus is understandable. Protection and conservation of the
resources of the sea are acknowledged as being in our national interest:
our Exclusive Economic Zone is the fifth largest in the world. At another
level our island status shapes our perception of national security. It would
take a lot of convincing a New Zealander that someone is going to come
1000 miles across the open sea from Australia to invade us.
Nevertheless, there is no denying that the sea is the medium by which
our economy is sustained. Amongst other things we import almost all of
our oil by sea. Conversely, almost all of the vital meat, wool and dairy
products that leave our shores to overseas markets goes by sea. The
volume of global trade transported by sea has increased four fold in
the last 40 years so that now more than nine tenths of world trade is
carried by sea. It follows that security of the sea lanes on the world’s
oceans and freedom of navigation on the high seas is very much in our
national interest.
Most trading countries have a common interest in ensuring that freedom
to navigate the oceans of the world is preserved. This collective interest
ensures that threats of a hostile, terrorist and criminal nature are neither
tolerated nor allowed to proliferate. These acts extend from the threat
or use of submarines in maritime choke points to acts of piracy and
people or drug smuggling.
The Navy’s ships and people are the instruments whereby the
Government contributes to the freedom of navigation globally, and
which can be deployed on missions to ensure that our national interest
is maintained and preserved. Our ships rarely do this alone. Over the
past twenty years our frigates have been regularly sent to the world’s
maritime hotspots in the Middle East and South East Asia, with allies
and international partners where national interests are aligned.
The Navy is sometimes known as the Silent Service. Perhaps this is
because historically Naval ships have deployed continuously but largely
unseen across the oceans of the world. When the time comes, as it
inevitably will, to respond to tragedy, illegal activity or threats to peace
and good order you can rest assured our frigates and their crews will
be ready to answer the call.
WOMM Mick O'Carroll (left) receiving Chief of
Navy's Commendation from RA Parr.
WWW.NAVY.MIL.NZ NT166april-may12 3