Semaphore: Sea Power Centre - Australia Publications

The Sea Power Centre - Australia (SPC-A) undertakes the study, discussion and the promotion of awareness of maritime issues and strategy within the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the Defence and civil communities.

The priority for the SPC-A in 2011 will be managing the staff effort associated with the Navy’s aim to realign and reconfigure its hierarchy of strategic documentation. Our aim is to ensure that Navy has a consistent and coherent understanding of its role to support the challenges of capability development in the coming years.

To support this role the SPC-A mission entails:

• Managing the development of strategic-level RAN doctrine and concepts, and their integration with Australian Defence Force (ADF) joint doctrine.
• Conducting research, studying developments in, and publishing papers on maritime strategy and naval history.
• Fostering regional and international engagement through conferences, briefings and lectures on maritime affairs and naval history.
• Developing, preserving and promoting Australia’s naval history.
• Advising Chief of Navy (CN) on RAN ship names and battle honours.
• Responding to government, department and public enquiries on maritime doctrine, sea power and naval history.

RAN Doctrine 1 - Australian Maritime Doctrine

The first edition of Australian Maritime Doctrine was released in 2000. After an update, the Chief of Navy launched the second edition on 4 June 2010 at the Australian Command and Staff College, Weston Creek. Hard copies are available from our information manager and it can also be downloaded from the SPC-A website.

RAN Doctrine 2 - Australian Maritime Operations

The companion volume to Australian Maritime Doctrine is due for revision and is now being rewritten, with a focus on how operations are conducted rather than on how individual ships and aircraft contribute to operations. The second edition is expected to be in circulation by mid- 2012.

The RAN Leadership Ethic

Released by CN in June, 2010, The RAN Leadership Ethic was written to provide a way of thinking about leadership rather than a prescriptive way of leading. It is available for download from the SPC-A website and hard copies are also available from the Information Manager.

Joint Doctrine

SPC-A has responsibility for coordinating Navy subject matter expert input to the joint doctrine development process. There are over 80 ADF joint doctrine publications, and the Joint Warfare Doctrine and Training Centre reviews these publications over a four-year cycle with a target of reviewing about 20 documents each year. The joint doctrine review process commences with an analysis phase which determines the work needed to update a publication and this can range from minor amendments to a complete rewrite. At present 16 publications are under review for completion by July 2011, including Foundations of Australian Military Doctrine, Campaigns and Operations and Multinational Operations.

King-Hall Naval History Conference 2011

The 7th biennial King-Hall Naval Conference will be held at the Australian Defence College, Weston Creek on 8 June 2011, focusing on Command & Leadership in Recent Years. It will only be open to Defence personnel and information will soon become available on the SPC-A website.

The proceedings of the 2007 conference, Naval Networks: the Dominance of Communications in Maritime Operations, will be published later this year.

The proceedings of the 2009 conference, Commonwealth Navies: 100 Years of Cooperation will not be published, but podcasts, slides and papers can be downloaded form the SPC-A website.

Sea Power Conference 2012

The 7th biennial Sea Power Conference will be held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre from 31 January- 2 February 2012. The theme of conference is The Naval Contribution to National Security and Prosperity and expected papers will examine both maritime national security roles as well as those focused on ‘good order at sea’, the protection of seaborne trade, the management and conservation of ocean resources, the protection and enforcement of maritime sovereignty, the conduct of oceanic scientific research, and search and rescue, as well as the impact of creating, developing and maintaining a navy on the national economy, local community, defence industry, education, employment and technology transfer.

More information will be made available on the conference website: www.seapowerconference.com.au.

The proceedings of the 2010 conference, Combined and Joint Operations from the sea, will be published later in the year.

Synnot Lecturer 2011

In 2011, the Synnot lecturer will be VADM Yoji Koda, a recently retired JMSDF fleet commander, currently a fellow at the Asia Centre, Harvard University. He will be in Australia over the period 16-20 May and will give a number of presentations at the Griffith Asia Institute in Brisbane, the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, and the Australian National University in Canberra. A formal public lecture will be hosted by the Australian Naval Institute and will be advertised in due course.

Retirement of the Peter Mitchell Essay Competition

For many years the RAN conducted the Peter Mitchell Essay Competition on behalf of Commonwealth navies, with the SPC-A assuming responsibility for running it in 2001. As both the Australian Naval Institute and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium now conduct annual essay competitions, in 2010 the RAN decided to retire the essay competition and gracefully withdraw from the field.

Streamlining our Distribution

As many of you know, under the Strategic Reform Program, the Department of Defence aims to generate at least $20 billion in savings over 10 years. In line with the general philosophy of minimising costs where possible, and given the largely hidden cost of postage, we have begun streamlining our distribution processes. Where we were sending copies to a number of people in the one organisation, the requisite number of copies are sent to one person for internal distribution. Similarly, if you receive Semaphore in hard copy when you can easily print a copy yourself, we would appreciate it if you could take your name off the hard copy distribution list.

Calling All Authors and Researchers

The SPC-A is always willing to look at quality manuscripts on historical and contemporary maritime issues. If you are the author of such a paper please contact us via the Centre's email seapower.centre@defence.gov.au to discuss its suitability for publication.

Research Collection

The SPC-A maintains a research collection that holds a wealth of naval resources, including Navy News, Navy Lists, Reports of Proceedings and Ship Movement reports. The research collection is normally available for use 0900-1630 each weekday, but it is not possible to borrow items. Researchers are requested to email or ring the SPC-A to confirm access, particularly if visiting from outside Canberra. The SPC-A will gladly accept book, ephemera and photograph donations on naval and maritime matters.

RAN Reading List

The online version of the RAN Reading List is updated regularly, with the most recent revision conducted in June 2009. The reading list is for use by all sailors and officers of the RAN, as well as others involved or interested in maritime strategy, doctrine, history or navies in general. The RAN Reading List can be downloaded from our web site. Comments, recommendations and reviews are welcome.

Our Publications

The SPC-A produces three series of publications: Semaphore, Working Papers, Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs (PIAMA) and Foundations of International Thinking on Sea Power (IntSP). Please contact the Information Manager to enquire about availability of hard copies. The form below allows you to subscribe to the SPC-A mailing list or to update your details.

Semaphore and Hindsight

The SPC-A produces Semaphore and Hindsight newsletters. Together these address a range of historical and contemporary maritime issues relevant to the RAN and to Australia. Past Semaphores and Hindsights are available on our web site.

Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs

Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs (PIAMA) are substantial works by authors undertaking research into regional naval and maritime issues. Recent PIAMA include:

No. 29

HMAS Leeuwin: The Story of the RAN’s Junior Recruits. By Brian Adams

No. 30

Maritime Capacity Building in the Asia-Pacific Region. Edited by Andrew Forbes

No. 31

Australia’s Response to Piracy: Legal Issue. Edited by Andrew Forbes (available in March 2011)

No. 32

Australian Maritime Issues 2009. Edited by Gregory P Gilbert and Michelle Jellett

No. 33

Keystone Doctrine Development in Five Commonwealth Navies: A Comparative Perspective. By Aaron P Jackson

Foundations of International Thinking on Sea Power

This series is a refereed publication that reflects research, both historical and contemporary, on how various States perceive sea power. The series re-examines the fundamental understanding of sea power in a variety of cultural traditions from ancient times to the present day. The most recent addition to this series is:

No. 2

Japanese Sea Power: A Maritime Nation’s Struggle for Identity. By Naoko Sajima and Kyoichi Tachikawa