ISSUE 149 September 2013 Some Influences on Current Chinese Naval Strategy in the South China Sea The Royal Malaysian Navy in the Midst of Modernisation Indonesia’s Fast Attack Craft Acquisition: Toward a “Balanced” Fleet? Americans in Darwin Submarine Trends in Asia Pacific K-IX Australia’s only WWII submarine JOURNAL OF THE Visit us at Pacific 2013 US Navy 127m Littoral Combat Ship AUSTRALIA’s prime defence contrACTOR [email protected] www.austal.com ACBPS 58m RAN 56m Cape Class Patrol Boat Armidale Class Patrol Boat Issue 149 3 Visit us at Pacific 2013 Letter to the Editor Contents Dear Editor, This not only denies natural justice Some Influences on Current Chinese In line with Dr Lewis, I was for those who made or risked the Naval Strategy in the South China Sea 4 dismayed at the recent announcement ultimate sacrifice in the most gallant by Navy that the pursuit of the award circumstances but flies in the face of of Victoria Crosses to Naval personnel those Navy Signature Behaviors where The Royal Malaysian Navy in the involved in past actions would not we value Navy’s history, identity, and Midst of Modernisation 24 longer be undertaken. reputation. To suggest that in the last 113 years The past and serving men and LIGHTNING 28 where the Nation was involved in women of the RAN deserve better. conflict and significant Naval battles There is an obvious wrong to be that no single action of gallantry righted. The continued adroit pursuit The Barrow in Furness Australian achieved the levels required for the of the appropriate awards should be Submarine Memorial 30 award of the VC is nonsense. made with the courage and loyalty Now we are accepting and setting demanded of those who serve in the a precedent, through political RAN and in the memory of those World Naval Developments 36 expediency, that in the past and shipmates whose gallant actions are arguably into the future that no now part of Navy history. A Navy ANZAC Day or Naval personnel serving in ships Lieutenant Commander Michael Remembrance Day Speech 39 will qualify for award of the VC but Edwards, OAM, RAN(rtd) for an alternative collective award. Donnybrook WA US Navy 127m Littoral Combat Ship Indonesia’s Fast Attack Craft Acquisition: Toward a “Balanced” Fleet? 42 AUSTRALIA’s prime defence contrACTOR Americans in Darwin 44 [email protected] www.austal.com German Navy - a capable submarine fleet 46 Submarine Trends in Asia Pacific: Air-Independent Propulsion A Game Changer? 48 F ront page : HMAS Choules’ K-IX Australia’s only Standing Sea Fire WWII submarine 51 Party prepares to fight a fire as part of a Damage Control German Navy Corvette Exposé 56 Exercise during Exercise Sea Lion 2013. Book Reviews 58 A ship’s signal lamp captures the image of ABIS Chantell Bianchi as she photographs an LCM8 and a “suspect vessel” as part of Exercise Sea Lion 2013. Visions from the Vault 67 Issue Number 149 SPONSORS: Printed in Queensland Australia - DMS MARITIME - LOCKHEED MARTIN - AUSTAL - SAAB SYSTEMS - Style Notes for Headmark 69 - QINETIQ - AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE CREDIT UNION - RAYTHEON AUSTRALIA - ISSN 1833-6531 - THYSSENKRUPP MARINE SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA - THALES NAVAL GROUP - ANI Membership Application Form 71 Design & DTP by Diane Bricknell [email protected] ACBPS 58m RAN 56m Journal of the Australian Naval Institute Cape Class Patrol Boat Armidale Class Patrol Boat 4 Some Influences on Current Chinese Naval Strategy in the South China Sea BY W. STEEN ANDERSON n a recent article published in the and naval capabilities of the 1 Naval Review magazine, the Author Chinese Peoples Liberation Idescribes a series of surprise attacks. Armed Forces over the These were against Pearl Harbor in last decade, and China’s Hawaii and Darwin in Australia by the desire to exercise control carrier aircraft of the Imperial Japanese over most or nearly all of Navy. These attacks instigated World the South China Sea. This War II in the Pacific in 1941 and 1942. is particularly so, in view The th7 December 1941 attack of the surprise attacks by on Pearl Harbor damaged the port Al Qaeda using passenger infrastructure. Battleships and other planes on the east coast units of the United States Navy Pacific cities of the United States at fleet were sunk or damaged on that the start of the last decade. 2 Sunday morning. By luck United However, there are States aircraft carriers were at sea and other episodes in World escaped destruction. This intelligence War II that should give failure by Japan was to have far- modern strategists even reaching consequences. more cause for concern. Darwin was attacked in two air Any weaker power trying raids on the 19th February 1942. A to achieve severe damage coast watcher on Bathurst Island on an enemy, or war aims radioed a warning to the authorities against a stronger power, on the mainland as the 71 Japanese would probably employ a dive bombers and 81 torpedo surprise attack against some bombers, escorted by 36 Zero fighters, important target. It would A ircraft Carrier USS passed overhead on their way to happen where the opponent least resulted in the complete destruction of Theodore Roosevelt, Darwin harbour. This warning was expected it. their governments and military forces. background, joins a dismissed by the military authorities. But according to the thinking of This was accompanied by constant multinational battle group formation They mistook the planes for a flight the philosopher on war, Carl von battlefield attrition, networked linked including a People’s of United States Army Air Corps Clausewitz “surprise of itself is not a warfare, global positioning systems Republic of China 4 Kittyhawk P-40s. war winning strategy.” It is equally true (GPS) targeting and unmanned aerial Navy multi-role The second raid arrived about lunch that, by its very nature, surprise can vehicle (UAV) missile strikes on missile destroyer time. Two waves of Nell and Betty rarely be outstandingly successful. It terrorist targets from the Yemen and Guangzhou and the Pakistan Navy bombers attacked the Royal Australian would be a mistake therefore, to regard Sudan on the one hand, to Afghanistan frigate PNS Badr Air Force base south of Darwin. One surprise as an element of success in and Pakistan on the other. The United came from the north-east, the other war. ..... “Basically surprise is a tactical States has, with its allies, put the from the south-west. Again there were device”..... “Therefore in strategy, terrorists and their protectors almost failures of intelligence, this time by surprise becomes the more difficult, out of business and certainly very much the local defences. Broome was also the more it approaches the higher on the defensive. attacked in March of that year, with 86 levels of policy.” TheNaval Review author argues lives lost, the second deadliest air raid The attacks on the Twin Towers that given the rise in Chinese military of the war on Australia. All together, in Manhattan, New York City, and on and naval air, ship and missile power 3 5 107 raids took place over two years. the Pentagon in Washington DC are over the last 15 years, the South TheNaval Review article argues illustrative. These led to a ferocious China Sea area could be the focus that a surprise attack could be and sustained military reaction by the for a Chinese surprise attack of some relevant given modern strategy. This is Government of the United States. Two sort. Chinese policy aims to regain especially relevant to the rise in military limited wars in Iraq and Afghanistan sovereignty of Taiwan and exercise Journal of the Australian Naval Institute Issue 149 5 undisputed sovereignty over that sea would be contained by the Royal Navy ORKNEY ISLES and its mineral deposits. blockading offshore, as it had often NORWAY been during the Napoleonic wars. CONTAINMENT. 1 Their ability to extend naval power GRAND FLEET “The act or condition of containing, across the world’s oceans to their (Jellicoe) especially of restraining the overseas territories would be limited ideological or political power of a or blocked. This school of thinking has SCOTLAND hostile country or the operations of a strong similarities to many of present BATTLE AREA Jutland hostile military force.” Collins day naval articles written on littoral DENMARK In the 20 years leading up to the and asymmetric warfare. In the event, Edinburgh BATTLE CRUISER FLEET (Beatty) year 1900, political relations between Britain and France were never to come Kiel Britain and France were often tense. to outright hostilities before World HELIGOLAND GERMAN FLEET French naval thinkers were trying to War I. (Von Scheer) develop a naval strategy that could British naval containment of a Wilhelmshaven succeed in wearing down the might of continental power did however come ENGLAND the Royal Navy in the event tensions about in World War I. But it was escalated into conflict. exercised against the fleet of Imperial HOLLAND GERMANY 0 100 miles This “jeune ecole”, (young school), Germany, not France. It was to lead, in of naval thinking had two elements time, to the Battle of Jutland on 31 May to it. One agreed that fleets of small, 1916. to serious discussion and challenge as well-armed fast torpedo boats, The aim of the German naval to relevance in a fast moving, modern operating in the English Channel, strategists was to have a naval fleet battle at sea. could pose a severe threat to British that could seriously damage or weaken How to manoeuvre lines of heavy 7 merchant shipping, and so damage the Royal Navy in a battle of attrition. naval ships at high speed in battle in 6 British commerce.