The maritime domain, including Australia’s maritime domain, faces unprecedented challenges, as highlighted by recent reports of suspected sabotage to undersea cables off the coast of Germany. The incident raises urgent concerns for Australia, where over 99% of internet traffic relies on subsea cables – a critical vulnerability yet to be adequately addressed in the nation’s maritime security framework.
Jennifer Parker’s latest paper, Time for a Coastguard: Maritime Threats Require a Structural Rethink, published by the Australian Naval Institute, argues for the establishment of an Australian Coastguard to manage such evolving threats.
The full paper is here: Time for a coastguard (ANI) – J Parker – Final
With Australia’s Defence Strategic Review shifting the focus of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to higher-end warfighting, the time has come to reexamine our approach to maritime security.
“It has been nearly 20 years since the 2004 Tonkin Review raised the possibility of creating a coastguard, but the strategic landscape has transformed dramatically,” Parker writes. “The increased contestation of the maritime domain, from sabotage to grey-zone activities, demands a rethink of how we secure our vast waters.”
Key points from Parker’s paper include:
0 Increased Maritime Threats: The paper underscores the blurring of civil and military threats in the maritime domain. From illegal fishing and hybrid warfare tactics to the targeting of critical infrastructure like subsea cables, Australia’s reliance on its seas makes it highly exposed to these risks.
0 Need for Structural Change: Australia’s current reliance on a fragmented, multi-agency approach—heavily dependent on ADF resources—is unsustainable. A professional coastguard with paramilitary capabilities would reduce pressure on the ADF and address the evolving complexity of maritime challenges.
0 Policy Recommendations: Parker calls for a statutory Australian Coastguard under the Minister for Home Affairs, equipped with dedicated resources and personnel transferred from existing agencies. The coastguard would manage civil maritime security while allowing the ADF to focus on its core responsibilities in competition and conflict scenarios.
Australia’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone, spanning over 10 million square kilometres, combined with its reliance on maritime trade and infrastructure, requires a robust and cohesive approach to maritime security. The growing frequency and complexity of incidents across the maritime domain from Europe to the South China Sea demonstrate that the maritime domain is increasingly contested, and years of reporting on issues associated with Australia’s current structure demonstrate it is inadequate to meet the growing challenges.
Parker concludes, “Australia must act to establish a coastguard that bridges the gap between civil and military maritime security, ensuring resilience in an increasingly contested maritime environment.”
The paper, part of the Australian Naval Institute’s Occasional Paper Series. It generates an important discussion on addressing Australia’s maritime security challenges while strengthening national resilience.
