Naval operations
ALTERNATIVE LABELS
Naval art and science
NARROWER TERMS
Report
Australia’s future submarine: an explainer
This paper endeavours to identify the principal factors that need to be identified and addressed if Australia is to pursue the nuclear propulsion option for its next generation submarines. The author argues that Australia has the capacity to manage these issues, even if it cannot...
Report
Delivering a stronger Navy, faster
In order to deliver on the Australian government’s ambitious plans for future shipbuilding capability, the urgent task today is to develop a bridging strategy that delivers short term capability wins and boosts vital industrial capability. The plan presented in this paper does both - by...
Discussion paper
Scott Morrison’s giant nuclear election ploy
Australia’s decision to join with the United States and the United Kingdom to build Australian long-range nuclear-powered submarines has little to do with the defence of Australia, writes Allan Behm.
Report
Does Australia need nuclear-powered submarines and a nuclear-power sector?
In light of Australia’s climate commitments, it stands to reason that the creation of a nuclear-power sector ought to be revisited, writes Lesley Hughes.
Report
Leaping across the ocean: the port operators behind China's naval expansion
The People’s Republic of China's (PRC) overseas investment in critical infrastructure poses a significant challenge to Australia and to other nations that don’t share China’s strategic interests. This report argues that Australia should adopt a whole-of-nation approach to safeguarding the resilience of critical infrastructure in...
Report
From concentrated vulnerability to distributed lethality — or how to get more maritime bang for the buck with our offshore patrol vessels
This report proposes a way for the Australian government to acquire maritime war-fighting capability quickly and affordably while promoting Australian industry and the continuous Naval Shipbuilding Program.
Briefing paper
No hands on deck: US and Australian progress in autonomous warfare at sea
This paper argues that as competition with China intensifies, future unmanned warfare can address key strategic and anti-access challenges for the United States, Australia and like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific.
Report
ANZAC Class Frigates — sustainment
The audit objective was to examine whether the Department of Defence has effective and efficient sustainment arrangements for the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of eight ANZAC class frigates.
Discussion paper
Naval shipbuilding strategic workforce: discussion paper
The federal government is investing $90 billion in continuous naval shipbuilding, a longterm plan to create economic growth and thousands of jobs for generations to come. This discussion paper provides an overview of the workforce needs of the national naval shipbuilding enterprise and where the...
Policy report
Overcoming ‘boom and bust’? Analyzing national shipbuilding plans in Canada and Australia
This paper analyzes the largest and most expensive procurement projects undertaken by either country, Canada’s $73 billion (estimated) National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), launched in 2010, and Australia’s A$90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Plan (NSP), launched in 2017. Each project represents an attempt to implement a rational...
Report
Wisdom and will? American military strategy in the Indo-Pacific
This report argues that if American policymakers can make sound decisions about how to evolve the capabilities, operating concepts and posture of their armed forces, and embed these in sensible policies for the region, a balance of power can be sustained.
Report
Grey zone operations and the maritime domain
The ‘grey zone’ has received much publicity in recent years as certain nation-states have employed indirect methods to achieve advantage over their opponents without recourse to open kinetic warfare.
Report
Can Australia afford nuclear propelled submarines? Can we afford not to?
This paper advocates early consideration of all aspects of a transition to nuclear propulsion for Australia's submarines, based on compelling strategic and submarine capability arguments. While a nuclear-powered submarine force would provide strategic advantages, some quite formidable challenges would need to be overcome to add...
Report
Thinking through submarine transition
The transition from the Collins-class submarines to the future submarine fleet will be more complex than any previous capability transition that Defence has undergone. The submarine enterprise will be in constant transition, rather than completing a short, bounded transition process.
Report
Air warfare destroyer: the game-changer
This publication illustrates how politics, technology, budgeting and the fallibility of human decision-making all intersect to make the defence capability development and acquisition business one of the most demanding of all public sector tasks.
Report
Future of Australia's naval shipbuilding industry: final report
National planning is vitally important for Australia's naval shipbuilding industry to sustain and consolidate its sovereign capability. The release of the naval shipbuilding plan attempted to formalise a long-term plan for the industry. However, further work is required to provide a more comprehensive and holistic...
Report
The next big grey thing - choosing Australia's future frigate
The federal government is close to making a decision on the $35 billion Future Frigate program. This paper sets out the issues the government will be taking into account and assesses each of the contenders against antisubmarine performance, project risk, industrial strategy and cost.
Discussion paper
China's new Navy: a short guide for Australian policy-makers
China may already be building a ‘post-American navy’, one designed not to confront US naval predominance in the Pacific, but to inherit it as the US baulks at the increasing cost of continued regional leadership.
Report
Naval construction programs—mobilisation
The objective of the audit was to assess the effectiveness to date of the Department of Defence's planning for the mobilisation of its continuous shipbuilding programs in Australia.
Report
Quadrilateral Security Initiative 2.0: Second attempt at Indo-Pacific Maritime Alliance
The proposed Quadrilateral Security Initiative 2.0 is an informal maritime alliance of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, which primarily involves co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.
Report
Australia’s offshore patrol vessels: Missing an opportunity?
The acquisition of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to replace the Australian Navy's Armidale-class patrol boats under Project SEA 1180 has attracted little scrutiny or comment. It deserves more.
Strategy
Naval shipbuilding plan
This resource outlines the Turnbull Government’s vision for the Australian naval shipbuilding enterprise and the significant investment required in coming decades.
Report
India’s security concerns in the Indian Ocean region: a critical analysis
The Indian Ocean has always been, and will remain, on the strategic radar of great powers. Given its strategic location with abundant oil, mineral resources and fisheries, and being a hub of vast seaborne global trade and oil routes, it has turned out to be...
Report
Indo-Pacific maritime security: challenges and cooperation
This edited collection of papers examines the emerging concept of the Indo-Pacific, maritime tensions including in the East and South China Seas, transnational security issues, the role of Japan as a regional security partner, and prospects for partnerships involving other countries. These are drawn from...
Report
Time to start worrying again? Cross-strait stability after the 2016 Taiwanese elections
Overview This study argues that the Taiwan Strait will remain dangerous and that Canberra needs to pay closer attention to the evolving cross-strait situation. Of crucial importance is the question of whether Australia should support its US ally in a future Taiwan contingency. The report...