The Navy Vol_70_No_2 Apr 2008 - Navy League of Australia

On display for the first time was Rafael's new Torbuster. The Torbuster is a submarine
launched soft kill decoy that also uses hard kill to protect the submarine. Unlike other
noise making decoys the Torbuster can be programmed to move away from the submarine
and/or towards the incoming torpedo. Once acquired by the incoming torpedo a warhead
detonates when the attacking torpedo comes close thus rendering it inoperable and no
longer a threat to the submarine.
nuclear sufficiency. She was more collaborative in maritime
matters. He believed that Australia as a medium power, selfevidently
a maritime country in a maritime environment, was faced
with a dilemma - the requirements of NOW and those of the
FUTURE. This was not a choice. Both had to be covered. Sea
Control was required. He noted that Sweden had changed its navy
in a space of 10 years from one formed for coastal defence to an
expeditionary navy involved in co-operation with other nations.
There were lessons in this for Australia.
Professor Don Rothwell, of the ANU, Dr Natalie Klein, a Senior
Lecturer at Macquarie University and Ms Joanna Mossop, a Senior
Lecturer at Victoria University, NZ, covered “International Law
Perspectives on trans-Tasman Security”.
Whaling in the Southern Ocean and associated legal problems were
covered in some detail by Dr Rothwell. He noted that Australia had
been a whaling nation from 1805 until 1978.
The control of whaling was first organised by the 1946 International
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. In 1985/6 a Moratorium
whereby all commercial whaling was prohibited came into force,
but scientific research was still allowed. Japan took advantage of
this provision, taking about 850 Minke, 50 Fin, and 50 Humpback
whales yearly. Japan stopped Humpback whaling in 2007.
Australia controlled whaling in its waters by the Whaling Act 1960,
the Whale Protection Act 1980 and finally the EPBC Act creating a
sanctuary in Australia's EEZ, including off the claimed Antarctic
Territory. However only four countries (the UK, NZ, Norway and
France) recognise Australian sovereignty over parts of Antarctica.
The current problem involving Japanese Whalers, the Greenpeace
ship Sea Shepherd, the Steve Irwin (flying the Dutch flag) with its
boarders, and the Australian Customs ship Oceanic Viking was a
legal nightmare.
The Commander Border Protection Command, Rear Admiral
James Goldrick, summarised the role of his command as “to coordinate
and control the whole of government efforts to protect
Australia's national interests against security threats in the offshore
maritime area”. There were 13 Government agencies involved
including Customs, Defence, Fisheries and Quarantine. Search and
Rescue remained with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.
The main problems were the illegal exploitation of
resources, bio-security, immigration, piracy and robbery,
terrorism, prohibited exports and imports, pollution and
Protected Areas. He was responsible to both the Chief of
the Defence Force and the CEO of the Customs
Department.
The Australian Maritime Identification System (AMIS)
which integrated all sources of information on maritime
surveillance would be operational in late 2008.
Border Protection assets included 14 Customs aircraft air
patrols and using AMSA, Army Regional Force
Surveillance, and Defence assets. His command had a
major call on eight customs vessels, the Ocean Viking in
the Southern Ocean, the customs vessel Triton, seven
Armidale class patrol boats, one major RAN fleet unit,
one minehunter, one LCH and other resources as
required. Trials using the Israeli Herron Unmanned
Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) would take place later this year.
There was warm co-operation with France in the Indian
Ocean and close contact with Indonesian authorities to
reduce pressure in the various areas.
The President of the Submarine Institute of Australia,
Rear Admiral Peter Briggs (Rtd) spoke on the Future
Submarine Programme. He emphasised the importance of
maximising future strategic options in what was Australia's strategic
“sting”. By 2025 it had been estimated that, excluding those of the
US and the RAN, there would be about 130 submarines in the
Indo/Pacific. By that time Indonesia planned to have 10 Kilo class
Russian-designed boats.
He considered the future need was to be able to put two submarines
on continuous patrol at 3,000 nautical miles from Australia plus two
operational boats in support of Task Force Operations. (This would
seem to need eight or more boats). He concluded that design tradeoffs
should be investigated now. A decision was required by 2010
with a contract let in 2016 and sea trials in 2022.
Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir, the Chief of Naval Staff,
Pakistan spoke on Regional Maritime Security Challenges in
the Arabian Sea.
A great expansion in world trade was now underway and more
emphasis must be placed on policing the trade routes. Many of the
world's sea lines of communication traverse the Indian Ocean and
one third of the world's oil supply passes through the Strait of
Hormuz. In the Arabian Sea maritime terrorism was not yet a major
focus but jurisdiction was anarchic and not under any nation's full
control. Threat at sea was now a reality. Piracy was rife in the Straits
of Malacca, off Somaliland, and in the South China Seas. Traffic in
drugs and arms was also a concern.
International co-operation was required to deal with these problems.
The Pakistan Navy had contributed to regional maritime security
and had provided the first non-NATO Commander in the North
Arabian Sea in 2006. In 2007 Pakistan had run a multi-national
maritime exercise involving the US, UK, China, France, Turkey,
Italy, Bangladesh and Malaysia. This would be run biennially to
promote inter-operability.
The Deputy Chief of the Indian Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Anup
Singh addressed the Indian Naval perspective.
Ancient India had active trade links all around the Indian Ocean and
up to the end of the 12th Century several Indian states had
significant navies. Their decline led to colonisation. Post
colonisation has led to the growth of the Indian Navy. The Indian
Navy was “Indian Centric” and “where one stands depends on
8 VOL. 70 NO. 2 THE NAVY