The Australian Navy in the Asian Century: setting a new course

I will sketch briefly the existing capabilities and roles of the Royal Australia Navy (RAN). This appraisal will be offered in the context of changing power balances in Asia, especially the rising naval strength and aspirations of China and India; Australia’s security perceptions and requirements, perennial and changing; and the prospects for Australia to work with other countries, and not only the United States, in regional maritime security. Several options for the development of the RAN will be introduced, varying in likelihood and ambition. The major changes to force structure declared in the 2009 Australian Defence White Paper will be identified and possible explanations offered, some of them grounded in the modernization of other navies in the region, especially China’s. Finally, questions of the prospects for and limitations on Australia’s maritime security engagement with India and China will be considered.