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 SPC-A mission entails:

• managing the development of operational and strategic-level RAN doctrine and concepts, and their integration 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
• overseeing the education of junior naval officers through the development of curriculum via the Maritime & Strategic Studies Program
• 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.

Peter Mitchell Essay Competition

The Peter Mitchell Essay Competition is conducted annually by the SPC-A on behalf of CN. The competition is open to members of Commonwealth navies. Entrants must be of or below commander rank, serving full-time, or as reservists for at least 20 days in the year of the competition close date. Three prizes are awarded: Open Section ($750), Officers’ Section ($500) and Sailors’ Section ($500).

The 2007 competition winners were:

• Open Section LCDR Chris Watson, RAN
• Officers’ Section - LCDR Sue Harling, RAN
• Sailors’ Section - WO Simon Kelly, RAN

The essay topics for the 2008 competition are:

1. How might navies provide geographical stability ashore to members and their families to ensure they remain in the Service?
2. Have medium navies concentrated too much on maritime power projection at the expense of sea control?
3. Many contemporary strategic commentators claim that the role of geography in strategic planning has been diminished by technology, globalisation, and the threat posed by terrorism. Is this a correct assessment?
4. Military-off-the-shelf or commercial-off-the-shelf. Where is the balance in building future naval capabilities?

The competition rules, information and closing date can be found at navy.gov.au/spc/mitchell.html

RAN Sea Power Conference 2008

Minister for Defence The Honourable Joel Fitzgibbon MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement The Honourable Greg Combet AM MP, and Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO, CSC, RAN conduct a media conference at the Sea Power Conference 2008 at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

The fifth biennial RAN Sea Power Conference was held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre from 29-31 January 2008. The conference attracted over 800 delegates from across the globe, and explored the broad theme of 'Australia and its Maritime Interests: at Home and in the Region'. Its aim was to examine maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region and their impact on the roles and activities of maritime forces. The conference proceedings will be published by the SPC-A and distributed to all delegates in 2008.

RAN Reading List

The online version of the RAN Reading List 2006 is updated regularly, with the next revision planned for May 2008. The reading list is for use by all members of the RAN, as well as others involved or interested in maritime strategy, doctrine, history or navies in general. It can be downloaded from navy.gov.au/spc/readinglist/

Comments, recommendations and reviews are welcome. Please send these to seapower.centre@defence.gov.au

Review of Australian Maritime Doctrine

The SPC-A has commenced the first review of Australian Maritime Doctrine: RAN Doctrine 1 - 2000 (AMD), which is the RAN’s principal work of doctrine about operations in the maritime environment. It is a guide to understanding what and how the RAN contributes to Australia’s national security, and focuses on the strategic rationale for and components of maritime operations. It can be downloaded from navy.gov.au/spc/amd/amdintro.html.

Synnot Lectures

The SPC-A coordinates the annual Synnot Lecture series, named in honour of ADML Sir Anthony Synnot (Chief of Naval Staff 1976-79 and Chief of Defence Force Staff 1979-82).

The 2007 lectures were presented by Dr Gary Weir, Chief Historian at the United States National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and Dr Eric Grove, Professor of Naval History at the University of Salford.

Dr Weir gave presentations on the link between naval history and the ‘1000-Ship Navy’ concept, the origins of geospatial intelligence, and on various aspects of naval acoustic surveillance and undersea warfare. Dr Grove lectured on the future of the Royal Navy and on sea power in the 20th century.

The 2008 lecture series will be advised in due course.

King-Hall Naval History Conference 2009

The sixth biennial King-Hall Naval History Conference will be held on 30-31 July 2009, with the broad theme of ‘The Commonwealth Navies in Peace and War’.

At the 1909 Imperial Conference the British Admiralty proposed that "a Dominion Government desirous of creating a navy should aim at forming a distinct Fleet Unit...one which, while manageable in times of peace, is capable of being used in its component parts in time of war."

Marking the centenary of this epoch-making event, the SPC-A will be hosting an international conference looking at the formation, growth and subsequent achievements of the various Commonwealth navies.

Calling all Authors and Researchers

The SPC-A supports researchers by providing access to its research collection and advice on historical and contemporary maritime issues. The SPC-A’s (non-borrowing) library holds a wealth of naval resources, including a full set of Navy News, Navy Lists, Reports of Proceedings and Ship Movement reports. The SPC-A may also be able to provide desk space to researchers by prior arrangement.

Advice is also available for those people who are considering undertaking tertiary research into maritime security issues, particularly under Australian Defence Organisation sponsorship arrangements, to help frame or refine an appropriate research question. The SPC-A is particularly interested in maintaining contact with tertiary researchers in the Department of Defence, with a view to publishing finished research papers.

The SPC-A is always willing to look at quality manuscripts on historical and contemporary naval and maritime issues. If you are the author of such a paper (of at least 15,000 words), please contact the Deputy Director Research to discuss suitability for publication.

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Sea Power Centre - Australia Publications

The Sea Power Centre - Australia produces four series of publications: Semaphore, Working Papers, Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs, and a forthcoming series on non-Western concepts of sea power. Please contact the Information Manager to enquire about availability of hard copies of our following publications.

The PDF version of this webpage allows you to subscribe to the SPC-A mailing list in order to receive our newest publications or update your details. You can also order our previous publications by ticking the boxes on the form.

Semaphore

The SPC-A produces Semaphore monthly from February through November. These address a range of historical and contemporary maritime issues relevant to the RAN and/or Australia.

Semaphore provides a brief overview suitable for the layperson. However, they are researched extensively and pass rigorous scrutiny to ensure that they are factual, interesting and informative.

Semaphores published in 2007 will appear in Andrew Forbes (ed), Australian Maritime Issues 2007: SPC-A Annual, Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs No. 21.

Working Papers

Working Papers foster debate and discussion on naval and maritime issues relevant to the RAN, ADF and to Australia and the region more generally. Past issues of Working Papers can be downloaded from the website, or ordered via the PDF form.

No. 1

New Technology and Medium Navies. By Norman Friedman

No. 2

Struggling for a Solution: The RAN and the Acquisition of a Surface to Air Missile Capability. By Peter Jones and James Goldrick

No. 3

Medium Power Strategy Revisited. By Richard Hill

No. 4

The Development of Naval Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region 1500-2000. By John Reeve

No. 5

Maritime Strategy and Defence of the Archipelagic Inner Arc. By John Reeve

No. 6

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the Future Navy. By Peter Ashworth

No. 7

Naval Cooperation and Coalition Building in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific: Status and Prospects. By Chris Rahman

No. 8

Analysis of Contemporary and Emerging Navigational Issues in the Law of the Sea. By Martin Tsamenyi & Kwame Mfodwo

No. 9

Seaborne Trade Flows in the Asia Pacific: Present and Future Trends. By Christopher Baldwin

No. 10

Asian Pacific SLOC Security: The China Factor. By Ji Guoxing

No. 11

Protecting the National Interest: Naval Constabulary Operations in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. By Andrew Forbes

No. 12

The Royal Australian Navy and Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence. By Tom Mueller

No. 13

The Timor Sea Joint Petroleum Development Area Oil and Gas Resources: The Defence Implications. By Matthew Flint

No. 14

The Enforcement Aspects of Australia’s Oceans Policy. By Barry Snushall

No. 15

Russian Naval Power in the Pacific: Today and Tomorrow. By Alexey Muraviev

No. 16

Royal Australian Navy Aerospace Capability 2020-2030. By Robert Hosick

No. 17

The New South Wales Reserve Naval Legal Panel - 40 Years of Service. By Members of the Naval Reserve Legal Panel

No. 18

Database of RAN Operations 1990-2005. By Vanessa Bendle et al

No. 19

An Effects-Based Anti-Submarine Warfare Strategy. By Mark Hammond

No. 20

Strength Through Diversity: The Combined Naval Role in Operation Stabilise. By David Stevens

Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs

Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs are substantial works by authors undertaking original research into regional naval and maritime issues. Past issues of Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs can be downloaded from the website, or ordered via the PDF form.

No. 1

From Empire Defence to the Long Haul: Post-War Defence Policy and its Impact on Naval Force Structure Planning 1945-1955.
By Hector Donohue

No. 2

No Easy Answers: The Development of the Navies of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 1945-1996. By James Goldrick

No. 3

Coastal Shipping: The Vital Link. By Mary Ganter

No. 4

Australian Carrier Decisions: The Decision to Procure HMA Ships Albatross, Sydney and Melbourne. By Anthony Wright

No. 5

Issues In Regional Maritime Strategy: Papers by Foreign Visiting Military Fellows with the RAN Maritime Studies Program - 1998.
Edited by David Wilson

No. 6

Australia’s Naval Inheritance: Imperial Maritime Strategy and the Australia Station 1880-1909. By Nicholas Lambert

No. 7

Maritime Aviation: Prospects for the 21st Century. Edited by David Stevens

No. 8

Maritime War in the 21st Century: The Medium and Small Navy Perspective. Edited by David Wilson

No. 9

HMAS Sydney (II): The Cruiser and the Controversy in the Archives of the United Kingdom. Edited by Peter Hore

No. 10

The Strategic Importance of Seaborne Trade and Shipping. Edited by Andrew Forbes

No. 11

Protecting Maritime Resources: Boundary Delimitation, Resource Conflicts and Constabulary Responsibilities.
Edited by Rachael Heath and Barry Snushall

No. 12

Australian Maritime Issues 2004: SPC-A Annual. Edited by Glenn Kerr

No. 13

Future Environmental Policy Trends: Impact on Ship Design and Operation. Edited by Glenn Kerr and Barry Snushall

No. 14

Peter Mitchell Essay Competition 2003. Edited by Glenn Kerr

No. 15

A Critical Vulnerability: The Impact of the Submarine Threat on Australia’s Maritime Defence 1915-1954. By David Stevens

No. 16

Australian Maritime Issues 2005: SPC-A Annual. Edited by Gregory Gilbert and Robert Davitt

No. 17

Australian Naval Personalities: Lives from the Australian Dictionary of Biography. Edited by Gregory Gilbert

No. 18

ADF Training in Australia’s Maritime Environment. Edited by Chris Rahman and Robert Davitt

No. 19

Australian Maritime Issues 2006: SPC-A Annual. Edited by Andrew Forbes and Michelle Lovi

No. 20

The Russian Pacific Fleet: From the Crimean War to Perestroika. By Alexey Muraviev