@NavyLeagueAust OCT-DEC 2014 VOL 76 No4 THE RN’S FIRST JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER USN FRIGATES FADING THE FLOWER CLASS CORVETTES ARMY’S VIEW OF MARITIME SECURITY STRATEGY $5.95 AUSTRALIA’s LEADING NAVAL MAGAZINE SINCE 1938 INCL. GST One of the RAN’s new Seahawk ‘Romeo’ maritime helicopters during the first live firing of an AGM-114 laser guided Hellfire missile. The addition of the Hellfire gives the RAN a direct fire anti-surface capability not seen since the retirement of the A-4 Skyhawk. (RAN) The FFG HMAS DARWIN off Sydney heads. (RAN) Volume 76 No.4 THE MAGAZINE OF THE NAVY LEAGUE OF AUSTRALIA FEDERAL COUNCIL SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION President: Graham M Harris, RFD Patron: His Excellency, The Governor of South Australia. Senior Vice-President: John Jeremy President: Dean Watson, RFD Vice-Presidents: Hon. Secretary: Miss J E Gill 04 THE RN’S FIRST JOINT STRIKE LCDR Roger Blythman, RFD, PO Box 3008, Unley, SA 5061 Mark Schweikert Telephone: (08) 8272 6435 FIGHTER Hon. Secretary: Philip Corboy WESTERN AUSTRALIAN DIVISION By CDR David Hobbs MBE RN (Rtd) PO Box 128, Clayfield, Qld 4011 Patron: His Excellency, Mob: 0421 280 481 The Governor of Western Australia. Email: [email protected] President: Mason Hayman 09 USN FRIGATES FADING NEW SOUTH WALES DIVISION 33 Keane Street President: R O Albert, AO, RFD, RD Peppermint Grove, WA 6011 By Richard R. Burgess Telephone: (08) 9384 5794 Hon. Secretary: Elizabeth Sykes Mob: 0404 949 282 GPO Box 1719, Sydney, NSW 2001 Telephone: (02) 9232 2144 Hon. Secretary: Trevor Vincent, 24 THE FLOWER CLASS CORVETTES Email: [email protected] 3 Prosser Way, Myaree, WA 6154 Telephone: (08) 9330 5129 By CPOCSM Jamie McIntyre VICTORIA DIVISION Mob: 0417 933 780 Patron: His Excellency, Fax: (08) 9330 5129 The Governor of Victoria. Email: [email protected] President: LCDR Roger Blythman, RFD 28 ARMY’S VIEW OF MARITIME FEDERAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Hon. Secretary: Ray Gill JP Chairman: Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie SECURITY STRATEGY Correspondence: AO, RAN (Rtd) PO Box 2340, Mt Waverley Vic 3149 By LTGEN David Morrison AO Members: Mr Neil Baird, Chairman, Email: [email protected] Baird Publications, Rear Admiral Simon Web: www.netspace.net.au/~navyleag Harrington RAN (Rtd), Vice Admiral QUEENSLAND DIVISION David Leach AC, CBE, LVO, RAN (Rtd), Patron: His Excellency, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO, CSC, The Governor of Queensland. RAN (Rtd), Mr John Strang, Chairman, Strang International Pty Ltd President: Harvey Greenfield Correspondence: CORPORATE MEMBERS GPO Box 1481, Brisbane Qld 4001 The Australian Shipowners’ Association Hawker De Haviland Limited State Branches: Strang International Pty Ltd Cairns: A Cunneen, PO Box 1009, Cairns, Qld 4870 Telephone: (07) 4054 1195 Townsville: I McDougall REGULAR FEATURES PO Box 1478, Townsville, Qld 4810 Telephone: (07) 4772 4588 02 From the Crow’s Nest Bundaberg: I Lohse, PO Box 5141 03 The President’s Page Bundaberg West, Qld 4670 Telephone: (07) 4151 2210 13 Flash Traffic 32 League Policy Statement All letters and contributions to: The Office of The Editor THE NAVY Navy League of Australia The opinions or assertions expressed in THE NAVY are those of the authors and GPO Box 1719 not necessarily those of the Federal Council of the Navy League of Australia, the Editor of THE NAVY, the RAN or the Department of Defence. The Editor welcomes Sydney, NSW 2001 correspondence, photographs and contributions and will assume that by making E-mail to: [email protected] submissions, contributors agree that all material may be used free of charge, edited and amended at the Editor’s discretion. No part of this publication may be All Subscriptions, Membership and Advertising enquiries to: reproduced without the permission of the Editor. The Hon Secretary Front cover: The now decommissioned USN Oliver Hazard Perry class Navy League of Australia, NSW Division FFG USS UNDERWOOD. The Oliver Hazard Perry class of frigates have been GPO Box 1719, Sydney NSW 2001 the real workhorse for the USN, particularly lately with their success in countering the narcotics trade in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. (USN) Deadline for next edition 5 November 2014 FROM THE CROW’S NEST Themistocles NAVAL Air – First tO FIGHT The recent unchecked ‘slaughter fest’ of innocent people being perpetrated in northern Iraq has horrified and sickened the civilised world. Public beheadings, crucifixions, torture, enforced slavery and extortion may have been the norms before the 15th century (without the Twitter and Face Book boasting) but thankfully most of us have evolved beyond that violent savagery. However, sometimes you need to fight fire with fire. The 21st century response to these evil armed thugs and murderers came in the form of naval air power. Specifically, US Navy aircraft from the aircraft carrier USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH were the first to fight and stand up for civilisation. A USMC F-35B on the deck of the LHD USS WASP. Australia Carrier borne F/A-18 Hornet fighters went deep into northern Iraq, at should consider the acquisition of some of the B model of short notice, to carry out targeted strikes on elements of the group the JSF as allies’ F-35Bs may not always be available to Australia to ‘cross deck’ as part of its contribution to future claiming to be an “Islamic State” - who at the time had cornered a coalitions or for our own defence. religious minority group called the Yazidi on Mount Sinjar singling them out for murder and/or slavery for their women and children. This immediate and effective action by naval air power made it possible for the safe supply of essentials to those people trapped on the mountain. that it would be a bridging capability to account for delays in the Naval air, later backed up by land based air, effectively turned the F-35A JSF purchase. Once the JSF started being delivered to the tide on these murdering thugs and made it safe enough for transport RAAF the options for the Super Hornets’ future included selling them aircraft to land at airports and air strips in the Kurdish parts of Northern back to the USN. Thus commonality with the USN, including all USN Iraq to supply the ‘Islamic State’s’ intended victims with the necessary upgrades during the next 10 years, was part of the purchase price and weaponry to fight off these bullies. negotiation agreement. The fact that such a quick response from the order to ‘go’ to ‘ka-boom’ Given this commonality our Super Hornets could in fact operate from could take place seems to be largely taken for granted. The attributes the USN’s carriers, with little modification. The only impediment would of naval airpower being able to be on the spot without lengthy 3rd be the training needed to land on an aircraft carrier. country agreements and build-up time and being able to send ready However, RAAF Super Hornets operating from USN carriers will of course strike packages immediately while fully supported and defendable never happen and if RAAF Super Hornets are ever used overseas it will were, again, on display for all to see. Sadly and predictably this has so be from a land base. But for a government looking for options it may be far been unappreciated. worth considering for the future, particularly given another 12 Super Australia rightly took offence at what was going on in Northern Iraq and Hornet ‘Growler’ electronic warfare aircraft are on order for the RAAF. started air drops of essential supplies alongside the air strikes. The Another option for Australian involvement in future ‘coalitions of the very government also stated talking up the prospect of RAAF F/A-18 Super willing’ is the use of the Canberra class CVLs (HMA Ships CANBERRA Hornets joining the US strike efforts against the murdering thugs. and ADELAIDE) as another flight deck for coalition aircraft such as Upon this news one media outlet reported, inaccurately, that our Super RN or USMC F-35B STOVL (Short Take Off and Vertcally Landing) JSF Hornets would be operating from the aircraft carrier USS GEORGE aircraft participating in strike operations. The extra deck provided by H.W. BUSH. the RAN would free up the RN’s/USN’s assets to allow an operational This would not be the case but it was an understandable error of logic break in order to regroup and reorganise for another period of strike which had at its core a blindingly obvious quality. Why can’t our ‘stock operations. standard’ USN F/A-18F Super Hornets fly from an American aircraft Politically this could be very attractive as Australia would be seen carrier in order to relive USN squadrons and show the Australian flag, providing an almost disproportionate response to the operation, while as well as the RAAF’s professionalism in the strike role? not sharing the same risk, as aircraft carrier decks are hard to come by. Our Super Hornets were sold to the RAAF as an FMS (Foreign Military But however politically attractive that may be, it must be remembered Sale) purchase. The US FMS programme is a form of security that at the end of the day the prime role of Australia’s navy is defending assistance authorised by the US Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and Australia and its interests, and we may well not have the luxury of considered a fundamental tool of US foreign policy. somebody else’s STOVL JSF’s to use from our Canberra class CVLs for Under Section 3, of the AECA, the US may sell defence articles and that role. Thus it would be better if we had our own. services to foreign countries and international organisations when the US President formally finds that to do so will strengthen the security of the US and promote world peace.