By Jennifer Parker*
Australia is an island nation that is hugely dependent on the maritime domain, yet where is our overall maritime strategy? Incredibly, we have no comprehensive plan for this and the gaps are ripe for exploitation.
The vast majority of our international trade passes through our ports, most of our internet passes through subsea cables, our exclusive economic zone is the third largest in the world, and our search and rescue area is enormous.
Protecting Australia’s strategic interests in the maritime domain is therefore a massive challenge.
That report’s 14 recommendations included that the government release a national security strategy, clearly articulate Australia’s strategic interests, review its reserves, conduct an independent review into Australian shipping, and outline the role of merchant shipping.
Two decades later, our dependence on maritime trade and subsea cables has increased while the threat to our strategic interests also has increased.
There also have been advancements in technology, including uncrewed underwater vehicles that provide opportunity and create risk for our maritime strategic interests.
Despite the maritime domain accounting for the 38 per cent of investment in Defence’s integrated investment program across the next 10 years, there are clear gaps in Defence’s ability to protect it.
Maritime strategy should not only address the military elements tasked to the Australian Defence Force and the Royal Australian Navy but also the civil elements including infrastructure protection, maritime safety and dealing with illegal fishing and irregular immigration, among other challenges.
While Australia released a civil maritime strategy in 2022, there are several problems with it. Despite the dependence of Australia on its subsea cables for its internet, they are not mentioned once in this civil strategy. Unaccountably, issues relating to maritime safety and pollution also were omitted from the strategy.
How often are RAN frigates, destroyers and amphibious platforms being pulled from military tasks to look for irregular migrants while the Indo-Pacific maritime situation deteriorates in the face of Chinese aggression?
Again, these are just a few examples of the issues – there are many.
Now, 20 years on from the parliamentary inquiry into Australia’s maritime strategy, it is time to revisit the conversation.
The Joint Standing Committee into Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade should once again take a comprehensive look at Australia’s maritime strategy and the structures that are required to protect Australia’s strategic interests against evolving maritime threats.
The global and regional trends are clear – we don’t have another 20 years to get this right.
While we occasionally hve pertinent commentary from experts such as Jennifer Parker, does anyone who has influence really care? This country has squandered the ability to build ships other than a small number of military vessels, it has virtually stopped manufacturing anything of substance, it sells off most commodities to other countries without maintaining enough for its own survival and most people seem to think that we can survive on providing services within our own country. My feeling is that until those in charge show leadership and gumption, instead of feathering their own nest in some way, this country will not survive any foreign threat to it.
One only has to look at the Defence Ministers over a decade or more to see what a priority governments have towards defence… it’s a scandal!!
Coupled with this is our top heavy DoD who are more interested in their RDO’s than defending the country…. I don’t write this as a casual quip… I have had 2 friends as consultants and both left because of pathetic inaction … a very large bulldozer at one end of the DoD and clear the place out would be a good beginning!