Some Personal Experiences the 2012 Vernon Parker Oration the Navy's Role in the Maritime Century
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ISSUE 146 December 2012 Beyond the PWO – Some Personal Experiences The 2012 Vernon Parker Oration The Navy’s role in the Maritime Century –Address to the Lowy Institute What is the Joint Strike Fighter? Australian involvement Air aspects of the Maritime Strategy Vietnam’s New Kilo-class Submarines: Game-changer in Regional Naval Balance? JOURNAL OF THE QinetiQ Maritime Oceans of Experience QinetiQ is a leading international provider of independent technology based services and solutions to Defence, Aerospace and Security Markets. Our clients benefit from 300 specialist staff based in Australia and the ability to draw upon the expertise, experience and knowledge of over 10,000 QinetiQ employees from across the globe. As Australia’s largest independent provider of specialist technical advice services to Defence and industry, QinetiQ provides through-life Design, Delivery and Sustainment services to help our maritime customers complete challenging missions safely and effectively. For more information contact our Maritime team: Tel: 1800 038 081 www.QinetiQ.com.au Issue 146 3 A Perfect kick off Contents he South Sydney Rabbitohs and 26 August at ANZ Stadium. The match Beyond the PWO – Some Personal ANZ Stadium dedicated their ball was delivered by 816 SQN Sea Experiences 4 Tfinal home game of the season to Hawk Helicopter to Air Marshal Mark the brave men and women serving Binskin, AO, Vice Chief of the Defence in the Australian Defence Force Force, who then handed it over to the The 2012 Vernon Parker Oration 8 in Australia and on peace keeping games referee. The RAN Ceremonial missions overseas, as they took on marching band performed the national the Parramatta Eels in the ‘Australian anthem prior to game kick off.t Defence Force Challenge’ on Sunday The Navy’s role in the Maritime Century - Address to the Lowy Institute 15 World Naval Developments 23 What is the Joint Strike Fighter? Australian involvement 26 Air aspects of the Maritime Strategy 27 Vietnam’s New Kilo-class Submarines: Game-changer in Regional Naval Balance? 31 World Naval Developments 33 Obituary: Robert Clarence Gillam 39 F ront page : Qualities of Leadership – Rear Admiral The multinational Frederick William Purves 42 fleet sails through the North Australian Exercise Area during Book Reviews 54 Exercise Kakadu 2012 Visions from the Vault 67 Issue Number 146 Printed by Everbest Printing SPONSORS: Style Notes for Headmark 69 Company - RAYTHEON - BOOZ & COMPANY - AUSTAL ISSN 1833-6531 - THALES NAVAL GROUP - DMS MARITME - QINETIQ - ATI - SAAB Design & DTP by ANI Membership Application Form 71 Diane Bricknell - AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE CREDIT UNION - LOPAC - BLOHM+VOSS NAVAL +61 3 6257 8051 [email protected] Journal of the Australian Naval Institute 4 Beyond the PWO – Some Personal Experiences BY VICE ADMIRAL DAVID SHACKLETON, AO (RTD) ell done to Rear Admiral James Goldrick for stimulating Wdebate about warfare and the articles by Lieutenant Commander James Edmondson1 and Captain (now Commodore) Peter Leavy2 which have added to the conversation. All are to be applauded. The topic is one of enduring value to the RAN. In reading the three articles I wondered if some historical anecdotes might be of interest to modern day readers. How the navy trains to fight has great relevance to how it will fight when push comes to shove. As it is for the Navy at large, getting the very best Sonar Technician from all of a ship’s crew and its total the Admiral asking in a loud clear voice group of about 32. HMAS Perth was Surface 3rd Class capability is critical for success. And “where is the bloody submarine”. And being fitted with NCDS in Long Beach Landon Walker in this mix now, is the network (both the nonplussed Leading Seaman RP USA in 1975 when I started the course. stands watch in the combat information internal and external), which could be with a cheesy grin on his face saying Two of us did two years exchange with center aboard the amongst the most powerful of force “here it is sir”, as he picked up the the RN on graduation followed by the guided-missile multipliers, or its Achilles heel. I can plastic token from the deck where it Advanced Warfare Officers (AWO) cruiser USS Bunker remember when CSOC3I at Maritime had been knocked by the energetic course prior to returning to Australia. Hill (CG 52). (US Headquarters and sea riding USS Blue duty Staff Officer who was attempting The RN PWO course was Navy photo by Mass Ridge as the first Australian to have to get a brownie point. Fortunately the conducted in a highly professional Communication Specialist 3rd Class full exposure to Exercise Tandem Admiral had a sense of humour. manner. The officer and sailor John Grandin) Thrust, the cry in Flag Plot was ‘it’s on How anybody made sense of what instructors were impressive and they the network’. A serious problem for was going on when dealing with the really knew their stuff. However, Commander 7th Fleet back then was: shouting that was necessary to be there was an Australian PWO on ‘who authorised the engagement to heard over the din of multiple speakers the staff who tried very hard, and start because it wasn’t me’? from various quarters of the ships with varying degrees of success, to I am of that generation of PWO’s armament is beyond comprehension. restore the balance with some rather that learned and practiced the warfare But, strangely, and against all odds, serious RN officers. The engineering game in what could be called the dusk it did seem to work. I worked in that theory and practical content of the of the analogue era, and experienced environment and it was exciting in a course was relatively high. We were the digital dawn in the RAN when the quirky way. As an adjunct to this, I did particularly expected to be able to hold Naval Combat Data System (NCDS) enjoy my time as an air controller for intelligent conversations with Weapons was introduced. I doubt there are many a variety of reasons, amongst which Engineering officers and sailors about fond memories amongst my peers of was that the folks on the other end of the sensors and weapons we would plotting tables and their idiosyncrasies the radio were, by and large, rational become responsible for as warfare of cogs, wheels, and chinagraph people while in the sky. officers in our future ships. We learned, pencils. As the on-watch operations My PWO course was number 10 in some detail for example, how the room officer in the Flag Plot of the and undertaken at HMS Dryad in UK. gunnery system worked and so on. carrier Melbourne, I remember well I was one of four RAN officers in a The RN had the view that the skills Journal of the Australian Naval Institute Issue 146 5 needed to be an effective watchkeeping the Operations officer and all the rest was completed before the towed target warfare officer did not remove the – which I really enjoyed and learned became too close and the crossing need for seaman officers to become much from being so fully occupied. rate became extreme. My strong knowledgeable specialists in a domain When a PWO was not closed up recollection is of the WEEO trying to such as the previous long course we kept bridge watches, as did the hide from the Captain who climbed up officers had been. Their solution was navigator. A 25 knot passage through to the GDP to deliver one of the best the AWO course, but at that time it the English Channel in lumpy weather blasts of my career. The only thing that didn’t fully make the grade (in my view) and lousy visibility was guaranteed to had gone wrong was the 4.5” gun had so far as delivering on the promise keep you totally awake for the entire trained from the starboard beam to of deep specialist knowledge. The middle watch, especially as there were right ahead while still firing, and that a Electronic Warfare, communications no assistants on the bridge other than merchant ship called up on VHF asking and other elements, especially Task the signalman; and the Captain sitting if there was a war on in the approaches Group command and control, were his chair providing encouragement to Plymouth. On a positive note, the excellent. But the RN was still working whenever necessary. check fire alarms had worked very well. out what the digital age meant, and on First stop after graduation from It was a character building my AWO course was much underdone. Dryad was Command Team Training, posting. A later episode occurred, On graduation as a PWO I was followed by a family removal to also concerning gunnery, which the F ire Controlman 2nd posted to the last of the Batch 3 Plymouth in parallel with Harbour and Captain as a TAS officer (Torpedo and Class Matthew E Bell Leander frigates, HMS Ariadne, where Sea Acceptance Trials (HATs & SATs), Anti-Submarine Warfare) didn’t seem mans a SPY-1B (V) I took over from another Australian and then a full Basic Operational Sea to like. The live firing bombardment radar console in the on exchange. The ship was less than Training (BOST) work up at Portland exercise at Roosevelt Roads (Puerto Combat Information five years old, but it had all-analogue of about seven weeks. Rico) was going so well that I declined Center aboard the guided-missile sensors and weapons. I was one of the SATs Gunnery in the Plymouth the opportunity to switch ammunition cruiser USS Shiloh. two PWO’s. My counterpart was the exercise areas was exhilarating.