Australian Maritime Doctrine
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i AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE RAN DOCTRINE 1 2000 ii AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2000 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the Department of Defence Announcement statement—may be announced to the public. Secondary release—may be released to the public. All Defence information, whether classified or not, is protected from unauthorised disclosure under the Crimes Act 1914. Defence Information may only be released in accordance with the Defence Protective Security Manual (SECMAN 4) and/or Defence Instruction (General) OPS 13-4—Release of Classified Defence Information to Other Countries, as appropriate. Requests and inquiries should be addressed to the Director, Sea Power Centre, HMAS CRESWELL, JERVIS BAY NSW 2540. RAN Doctrine 1 First Edition Sponsor Developer Publisher Chief of Navy RAN Sea Power Centre Defence Publishing Service Navy Headquarters HMAS CRESWELL Department of Defence JERVIS BAY NSW 2540 CANBERRA ACT 2600 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Australian maritime doctrine (RAN doctrine 1). Includes index. ISBN 0 642 29535 2. 1. Australia. Royal Australian Navy. 2. Sea-power- Australia. 3. Australia - Military policy. I. Australia. Royal Australian Navy. Sea Power Centre. 359.00994 ii iii AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE RAN DOCTRINE 1 2000 iv AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE v FOREWORD Australian Maritime Doctrine is the Royal Australian Navy’s keystone work of doctrine. It is a guide to understanding what the RAN contributes to Australia’s national security and how it does this. Australian Maritime Doctrine has been written to appeal to the widest possible audience, not only those within the RAN and the Australian Defence Force, but to all who have responsibilities for or are interested in Australia’s national security and its instruments. Australian Maritime Doctrine brings together for the first time in an Australian context the key concepts and themes of maritime power and explains them in a clear and straightforward fashion. This book lays out the ways in which the Navy operates as part of a joint and integrated ADF to accomplish the goals set by the Australian Government. The careful linkages created by this book between our strategic circumstances, the national security policy and the nature and potential of maritime power act as the basis for explaining the organisation and operation of the Navy as an element of the ADF. Australian Maritime Doctrine’s emphasis on the absolute dependence of our capability upon the people who serve in and support the RAN is one of the most important elements of the text. So, too, is the emphasis which the work puts upon ways in which maritime forces support and enable the effects which can be achieved by air and land forces, just as the air and land contribute to our efforts at sea. Australian Maritime Doctrine will be a vital component of the training and education of the men and women of the RAN. It will be a foundation stone of our efforts to improve our knowledge of ourselves and our Service, and equally a key element in our work to ensure that all Australians understand better the issues of maritime power. I expect all officers and senior sailors to read Australian Maritime Doctrine and I urge them to discuss its contents with their juniors, with each other, with other members of the ADF and the Defence organisation and with Australians at large. Just as doctrine at all levels is changing and evolving to meet new strategic, social and technological changes, so Australian Maritime Doctrine will change and evolve. In draft form the work has already benefited enormously from commentary from a wide range of sources, including Joint organisations, ships at sea and national and overseas academic experts. This edition of Australian Maritime Doctrine is special in that, for the first time in its history, the RAN has developed sufficient confidence to publicly v vi AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE proclaim its understanding of maritime affairs as having reached an international standard. Readers should regard this as a coming of age. The Sea Power Centre is to be congratulated on its achievement. I commend Australian Maritime Doctrine to you. D.J. SHACKLETON AO Vice-Admiral, RAN Chief of Navy 04 October 2000 vi vii CONTENTS Foreword v Executive Summary 1 1 Understanding Maritime Doctrine 5 2 The Maritime Environment 11 3 Armed Conflict 17 4 Strategic Policy 29 5 Maritime Strategic Concepts 37 6 Maritime Operational Concepts 47 7 Maritime Operations 55 8 The Most Important Factor 75 9 The Enablers of Maritime Forces 81 10 The Constituents of Maritime Combat Forces 89 11 Maritime Campaigning 109 12 Future Australian Maritime Forces 123 A Note on Sources 129 Acknowledgments 131 Acronyms and Abbreviations 134 Glossary 137 Index 167 vii viii AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE The most important factor viii 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Australian Maritime Doctrine explains how the Royal Australian Navy thinks about, prepares for and operates in peace and conflict. It sets out Navy’s place within a joint and integrated Australian Defence Force and its roles in Australia’s military strategy. It shows the ways in which the RAN provides its unique and essential contribution to the overall ADF effort to protect Australia’s security interests. Chapter One: Understanding Maritime Doctrine explains the origins and nature of Australian maritime doctrine. It demonstrates that doctrine is a key element of Navy’s capability, derived from hard-won national and international experience. It shows how Navy doctrine fits within that of the Australian Defence Force as a whole and how it complements the doctrine of the other services. Chapter Two: The Maritime Environment describes the physical, economic and social factors which define Australia’s relationships with the maritime environment. It shows that Australia is an island continent in a maritime region. It explains the importance of the sea for access and transportation for the Asia-Pacific as a whole as well as making clear Australia’s economic dependence upon seaborne imports and exports. It demonstrates the extent to which our national security is affected by unique problems of distance and scale. This Chapter also describes the vital relationship between maritime affairs and international law. Chapter Three: Armed Conflict details the features of armed conflict in the modern world. It explains the concept of the Spectrum of Conflict and the ways in which changes in the nature of conflict are affecting maritime operations. It shows how navies must be prepared to face a wide range of contingencies. This chapter sets out the Principles of War and gives examples of their importance from the RAN’s own experience of conflict. Chapter Four: Strategic Policy outlines the nature of Australia’s security policy and proceeds from this to explain Australia’s strategic environment and its enduring strategic interests. Australia’s strategic characteristics and the influence of history on our national outlook 1 2 AUSTRALIAN MARITIME DOCTRINE are described. The importance of maritime capabilities in achieving all the aims of Australia’s Military Strategy is emphasised. Chapter Five: Maritime Strategic Concepts analyses the origins of maritime strategic thought and the relevance of maritime strategic concepts today and tomorrow. It sets out the principal objectives of naval forces in conflict. It makes clear that the ability to use the sea and deny its use to an opponent, known as sea control, is fundamental to maritime nations such as Australia in achieving their strategic goals. This chapter shows that sea control is also critical to effective projection of power in a maritime environment, particularly when the sea is being utilised to transport or support land forces. Chapter Six: Maritime Operational Concepts explains the relationships between land, air and sea forces. It defines the unique characteristics of maritime power and the contribution which it can make. The mobility, flexibility and adaptability of warships, their access and reach and their ability to poise, as well as the capacity of ships to transport a critical mass of combat power over long distances provide many options for political and strategic decision makers across a wide range of contingencies. This chapter also explains the limitations of maritime power and the way in which it is complemented by the strengths of air and land power. It sets out the means by which an effective Joint approach can achieve manoeuvre from the sea. Chapter Seven: The Span of Maritime Operations describes the many different ways in which maritime forces can be used. It explains that the roles of maritime forces depend fundamentally upon their warfighting capabilities but also shows the extent to which those capabilities confer the flexibility to support many other activities of government, whether to forward the aims of foreign or domestic policy. Chapter Eight: The Most Important Factor explains the dependence of all naval capabilities upon the men and women who make up the Navy and its supporting organisations. This chapter explains the elements of naval command and leadership. It describes the unique nature of service at sea and the mechanisms by which personnel are prepared for the challenges they face, both as individuals and as the members of ships’ companies. It explains the way in which battle readiness is achieved and maintained and combat stress is managed. Chapter Nine: The Enablers of Maritime Forces describes the ways in which the structure and organisation of the Navy support its ability to raise, train and sustain effective forces. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 It sets out the components of maritime logistics and shows how the Navy is dependent upon effective relationships with national industry as well as other parts of the Defence organisation in achieving its goals.