Her keel was laid down in December 1896 at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard, and she was launched in May 1898. She was commissioned into the fleet in October 1900. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 13-inch (330 mm) guns and she had a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph).
Alabama spent the first seven years of her career in the North Atlantic Fleet conducting peacetime training. In 1904, she made a visit to Europe and toured the Mediterranean. She took part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet until damage to her machinery forced her to leave the cruise in San Francisco. She instead completed a shorter circumnavigation in company with the battleship Maine. The ship received an extensive modernization from 1909 to 1912, after which she was used as a training ship in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She continued in this role during World War I. After the war, Alabama was stricken from the naval register and allocated to bombing tests that were conducted in September 1921. She was sunk in the tests by US Army Air Service bombers and later sold for scrap in March 1924.
Wyoming was laid down at the William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia in February 1910, was launched in May 1911, and was completed in September 1912. She was armed with a main battery of twelve 12-inch (305 mm) guns and capable of a top speed of 20.5 kn (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph).
During the First World War, she was part of the Battleship Division Nine, which was attached to the British Grand Fleet as the 6th Battle Squadron. During the war, she was primarily tasked with patrolling in the North Sea and escorting convoys to Norway. She served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets throughout the 1920s, and in 1931–1932, she was converted into a training ship according to the terms of the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
Wyoming served as a training ship throughout the 1930s, and in November 1941, she became a gunnery ship. She operated primarily in the Chesapeake Bay area, which earned her the nickname “Chesapeake Raider”. In this capacity, she trained some 35,000 gunners for the hugely expanded US Navy during World War II. She continued in this duty until 1947, when she was decommissioned on 1 August and subsequently sold for scrap; she was broken up in New York starting in December 1947.
JANUARY 22, 2024 2:23 PM – UPDATED: JANUARY 23, 2024 8:43 AM
USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Jan. 22, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
292 (USS 232, USNS 60)
102 (USS 70, USNS 32)
65 (43 Deployed, 19 Local)
In Japan
Capt. Daryle Cardone, commanding officer of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), speaks during an all-hands call in the hangar bay while in-port commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Jan. 16, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port Yokosuka. The carrier completed its last planned Western Pacific patrol last month and is set to depart for the East Coast later this year. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan.
In the Philippine Sea
Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) John Alayon, from La Mirada, California, assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA-6) launches an F-35B Lightning II aircraft from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 from the ships flight deck, while sailing in the East China Sea, Jan. 17, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Republic of Korea Navy completed a trilateral maritime exercise on Jan. 17, according to U.S. 7th Fleet.
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), left, and the Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Hyuga (DDH-181) from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, sail together during a trilateral exercise, Jan. 17, 2024. US Navy Photo
“The ships that participated included USS Carl Vinson, Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59), Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104); Hyuga-class helicopter destroyers JS Hyuga (DDH-181), Kongo-class guided missile destroyer JS Kongo (DDG-173) of the JMSDF; guided missile destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991) and ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978) of the ROKN,” according to 7th Fleet.
Vinson is using older C-2A Greyhounds flying out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet is grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B off the coast of Japan.
Carrier Strike Group 1
Naval Special Warfare (NSW) operators board an MH-60S Knight Hawk, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4, during a fast-rope evolution on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Jan. 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 2
The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island.
The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser
USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 1
A MK 45 5-inch gun fires during a live-fire exercise aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG-70) on Jan. 16, 2024. US Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.
USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
In the Western Pacific
The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) anchored off Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, as part of Pacific Partnership 2024-1, Jan. 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) concluded its final mission stop of Pacific Partnership 24-1, departing Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, according to the Navy.
“Throughout their 12-day stop in Chuuk, PP24-1 teams conducted more than 150 medical engagements, including 2226 dental procedures. The optometry team distributed more than 1605 prescription glasses and 1442 pairs of sunglasses. Additionally, the Pacific Partnership medical team conducted 82 surgeries aboard Mercy,” reads a statement from the Navy.
In the South Pacific
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Connors, and Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Miller, Regional Dive Locker West divers, swim under the fast ice after an underwater advancement ceremony next to the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Jan. 7, 2024. The Polar Star is enroute to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze, a joint service, interagency support operation for the National Science Foundation, which manages the United States Antarctic Program on Jan. 7, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is at McMurdo Station in Antarctica supporting Operation Deep Freeze.
In the Pacific
F/A-18 Super Hornets rest on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) as it transits the Pacific Ocean, Jan. 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) departed San Diego, Calif., last week to begin its deployment, with a detachment of C-2A Greyhounds from the East Coast filling in for the grounded CV-22B Ospreys, USNI News has learned. Carrier Strike Group 9
Carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach, Va.
The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser
USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23
Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
In the Eastern Mediterranean
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is back in the Eastern Mediterranean after completing exercise “Odyssey Encore” off the coast Volos, Greece, on Jan. 17. The two-week-long exercise focused on “advanced skills and operational capabilities necessary to rapidly respond to any crisis or other emergent requirements” in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, according to a Navy news release.
Among many missions Marines are trained in is evacuating civilians from conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit in April during a noncombatant evacuation drill in North Carolina.
Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4 and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.
In the Red Sea
Sailors from guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) conduct small boat operations while operating in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea on Jan. 4, 2024. US Navy Photo
U.S. forces in the Middle East entered the seventh day of back and forth strikes over the weekend, according to information from U.S. Central Command.
Based on information from CENTCOM:
On Saturday, U.S. forces struck a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed at the Gulf of Aden that CENTCOM said was prepared to launch at maritime targets.
On Friday, U.S. forces struck three anti-ship ballistic missiles were aimed at the Red Sea and planned to launch.
On Thursday, Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at M/V Chem Ranger, a Marshall Island-flagged, U.S.-owned, Greek-operated tanker ship. The crew observed the missiles impact the water near the ship. There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship. The ship has continued underway.
On Wednesday, the U.S struck 14 Houthi missiles in Yemen that CENTCOM said were prepared to fire against ships in the Red Sea.
On Tuesday, U.S. forces destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles following an attack on the U.S.-owned container ship M/V Genco Picardy.
As of Monday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.
The United Nations Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea, as the United States and the United Kingdom hinted at military strikes.
The Pentagon, on Dec. 18, announced an initiative to protect commercial traffic in the region after almost two months of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by forces in Yemen.
Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multinational push to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden under the structure of the existing Combined Task Force 153.
Sailor welds aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). US Navy Photo
Carrier Strike Group 2
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22
Guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107) launches Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi malign behavior in the Red Sea Jan. 12, 2024. US Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
In the Arabian Sea
Marines assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364 (VMM-364), take-off from an MV-22B Osprey on USS Lewis B Puller in the Red Sea, April 29, 2023. US Air Force Photo
The Two Navy SEALs who went missing on Jan. 11 as part of a raid on a ship carrying missile parts for Houthi forces were declared deceased, U.S. Central Command announced on Sunday.
“We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased. The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing during the boarding of an illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons Jan. 11 concluded and we are now conducting recovery operations,” reads the statement from CENTCOM.
In the Gulf of Oman
Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC-1145) seizes bags of illegal narcotics from a vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Jan. 5, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter operating under the French-led Combined Task Force 150 seized about $8.1 million worth of illegal drugs from a vessel in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 16.
“This is the second interdiction by CTF 150 of the year and marks the 14th time they have seized illegal narcotics at sea since France took command in July 2023,” the Task Force said in a news release. “During their tenure, more than 16 tons of illegal narcotics with a street value of over $600 million were seized and disposed of, preventing criminal and terrorist organizations generating income from drug smuggling. The seizure came one day before France turned over command of the task force to the Royal Canadian Navy.”
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Western Atlantic
Sailors assigned to the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) man the rails upon return from the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Jan. 17, 2024. U.S. Navy Photo
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., on Wednesday, reported USNI News.
Ford and the embarked air wing and its escorts spent the bulk of its eight-month deployment in the Mediterranean Sea. The Ford Carrier Strike Group initially operated in the region as part of the ongoing presence mission the U.S. has undertaken since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but then was positioned in the Eastern Mediterranean following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel. The Ford Carrier Strike Group was extended three times to remain on station near Israel.
Carrier Strike Group 12
Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 8
A pilot, assigned to the ‘Ragin Bulls’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37, reunites with his family after returning to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, Jan. 15, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Blacklions” of VFA 213 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Golden Warriors” of VFA 87 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Tomcatters” of VFA 31 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) returns to Naval Station Norfolk following an eight-month deployment, Jan. 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Normandy (CG-60), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 2
Destroyer Squadron 2 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Ford. Due to the length of the deployment, the destroyers assigned to the strike group have changed since the initial deployment.
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), homeported at Naval Station Rota, Spain.
USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), homeported at Rota.
USS Ramage (DDG-61), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
USS McFaul (DDG-74), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), returned to its Mayport, Fla., homeport.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) was spotted heading outbound from Norfolk, Va., on Jan 19 for sea trials after a 13-month maintenance and repair period. Carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) was spotted heading outbound from Norfolk on Jan 14.
In the Eastern Pacific
Religious Program Specialist Seaman Apprentice Cody Davion, from Covington, Ga., salutes remains during a burial-at-sea ceremony on aircraft elevator 4 aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Jan. 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) was spotted heading outbound from San Diego, Calif., on Jan 18, according to ship spotters.
The amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) was spotted heading inbound to San Diego, Calif., on Jan 18, according to ship spotters.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
Northrop Grumman has been approved to commence low-rate production of its highly anticipated B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
The B-21 Raider made its maiden flight in November 2023, a crucial step that led to Northrop Grumman securing the contract for the initial production of the stealth bomber.
The announcement came from William LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, who said that production plans were mature and grounded on successful ground and flight tests.
“This past fall, based on the results of ground and flight tests and the team’s mature plans for manufacturing, I gave the go-ahead to begin producing B-21s at a low rate,” Under Secretary LaPlante said in a statement to Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The next-generation strategic bomber
This advanced aircraft is designed to enhance the USAF’s strategic capabilities and serve as a key component in the nation’s defense arsenal.
With production now underway, the B-21 Raider is expected to enter active service by 2026. It is anticipated to gradually replace the aging B-2 Spirit and the B-1 Lancer strategic bombers, which have been crucial assets in the USAF’s long-range strike capabilities for decades.
The USAF envisions operating a two-bomber fleet, comprising the B-21 Raider and the B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, currently undergoing a modernization campaign. The order for 100 B-21 Raiders surpasses the combined number of B-1s and B-2s currently in operation. https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/RpkYtmF6yaE?si=0O3i7Nv7K9-TMTt5
As an island continent, Australia can’t escape its intrinsic economic, political, strategic, and social connection to the ocean, yet as the Indo-Pacific becomes increasingly contested, we have steadily seen the capacity of the Royal Australian Navy’s surface fleet rapidly deteriorate to our detriment.
Over the last four decades, Australia, like the world, has undergone a number of major structural realignments of global economic, political, and strategic power with wide-reaching impacts on the posture, doctrine, and structure of the Australian Defence Force.
As the largest island continent on the planet with a maritime jurisdiction of in excess of 8 million square kilometres, Australia, as a nation and a people, is defined by its relationship with the ocean.
Beyond the social and cultural aspects, our relationship with the ocean and our maritime approaches has ranged from angst to anxiety through to hostility and outright apathy as a result of our “tyranny of distance”.
This has only become more front of mind since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the Red Sea, which is responsible for constraining waterways responsible for US$1 trillion (AU$1.51 trillion) worth of maritime trade every year, never mind China’s ongoing brinkmanship and antagonism in the South China Sea putting at risk more than US$5 trillion (AU$7.57 trillion) of maritime trade every year.
Recognising the centrality of maritime security and stability, the government’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) reinforced the renewed importance of the nation’s maritime security, with the Royal Australian Navy requiring an immense and comprehensive restructuring to optimise the fleet for the future tactical and strategic challenges we face throughout the Indo-Pacific.
In doing so, they have called into question a number of the procurement decisions made by the previous government that are set to shape the future capability of the Royal Australian Navy.
At its core, the DSR emphasises a three-pronged approach to modernising and expanding the nation’s maritime combat capabilities, with an emphasis on complementing the nation’s future nuclear-powered submarine fleet, with the review calling for “an enhanced lethality surface combatant fleet, that complements a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet, is now essential given our changed strategic circumstances”.
This major step change in the thinking of the Navy’s mission profile, responsibilities, and implications for force structure have been further influenced by the government’s plans to field two distinct tiers that are capable of “enhancing Navy’s capability in long-range strike (maritime and land), air defence, and anti-submarine warfare requires the acquisition of a contemporary optimal mix of Tier 1 and Tier 2 surface combatants, consistent with a strategy of a larger number of small surface vessels”.
Yet all of this reinvestment and recapitalisation of the Royal Australian Navy comes following nearly four decades of bipartisan under investment and slow decision making and, of course, the enduring impact of the post-Cold War “peace dividend” resulting in the precarious position the nation’s fleet finds itself in.
For former Australian Defence Minister Kim Beazley, in a piece for ASPI titled, Australia’s disappeared surface combatant fleet, we have failed to meet even the basic surface fleet necessary to secure our critical maritime interests during the benign post-Cold War period, let alone the new era of multipolarity we now face.
Dragging our feet on the ‘minimum’ from 30 years ago
For people familiar with Australia’s defence and national security apparatus, policy making, and capability development process, none of this comes as a surprise, particularly in the aftermath of the Defence Strategic Review.
Beazley explains the history of Australia’s existing surface fleet structure and the policy making that has formed the basis of this approach, stating, “As Australia awarded itself an ill-thought-out peace dividend at the end of the Cold War, the impact fell hardest on the Navy’s surface combatant fleet. Arguably no element was thought through more thoroughly for the 1987 defence white paper than the fleet. Having decided not to acquire an aircraft carrier, the surface combatants were recognised as central to our maritime defence.
“The white paper called for a force of three guided missile destroyers (DDGs) and six guided missile frigates (FFGs). With them, though still to be selected, were eight Anzac Class frigates which entered service between 1994 and 2005. That made a force of 17 surface combatants,” Beazley explained.
Explaining the reasoning, Beazley stressed that the analysis that resulted in this figure of a minimum of 17 surface combatants for “peace time” Australia was based on having sufficient surface vessels to effectively defend any chokepoint across Australia’s immediate region, without the additional support and power projection of indigenous fleet airpower following the retirement of Australia’s last aircraft carrier, the HMAS Melbourne in the 1980s.
Equally, Beazley stated that the proposed force structure wasn’t based on the broader reality of the Cold War, rather it was dictated by the geographic realities (which haven’t changed by the way) and the realistic tactical and strategic circumstances over the medium term.
“This was not an ad hoc decision. It was a calculation of the force needed to work in the various points of entry through the archipelago to Australia’s north. Studies suggested we needed 20 ships but there was not the money. It was hoped New Zealand would acquire four frigates and that might fill the gap. Critically, as the white paper mentioned repeatedly, the whole force structure was not Cold War related. It was about the character of our region in the medium term. The paper argued that we should relieve the US of the burden of interposing its own forces in the defence of our approaches. Our maritime defence was central to that self-reliance,” Beazley explained.
Importantly, Beazley’s last point remains as critical, if not more so than when the planning for the 17 major surface combatants was originally proposed, particularly given the rise of China and its increasing antagonism towards the established world order in the Indo-Pacific.
Our peace dividend wasn’t justified
Despite the hope and optimism that characterised the immediate post-Cold War world, for Beazley, the challenges we face today have their genesis in the decisions made in the immediate aftermath of the Cold War.
“What has gone wrong over 30 years? Clearly reduction of financial resources stands at the top. It suggests that commitment to self-reliance was skin deep. We took a post-Cold War peace dividend like all our allies. In our case it was not justified, at least against the 1987 strategic underpinning of our defence,” Beazley stated, perhaps rather concerningly, seeming at least to imply that at a cultural level, Australia’s sense of “national self-preservation” is highly shallow and contingent largely on societal and political amnesia.
Fair, the world was vastly different to the one we face today, nevertheless, Australia has always had an insecure relationship with the region and its equally been a two-way relationship, with many regional nations having an insecure and at times tense relationship with Australia.
Yet, as was recently highlighted by Jennifer Parker, the Australian National University’s National Security College senior adviser, in her new report for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), titled, An Australian Maritime Strategy: Resourcing the Royal Australian Navy, in which Parker explained, “The 1991 Force Structure Review assessed that Australia would need 16 major surface combatants in order to support 10 operating on station.”
Parker does concede that the idea of being able to maintain 10 on station at any given time is optimistic, however, a broader question remains about the future force structure of the surface fleet.
If, in the comparatively benign times of the early 1990s called for a surface fleet of “16 major surface combatants”, the question becomes, what do we need now?
Yet we have failed to adjust or indeed respond to the rapid deterioration of our regional dynamics, despite the rhetoric made by both sides of Australian politics, which is only further compounded by an Australian public largely disconnected from the reality we face.
Equally we have seen an emphasis on taking the easiest and cheapest route to immediate maritime security by seeking to shift emphasis on “smaller, more numerous” “tier 2” surface combatants, with a reduced number of the higher cost, more complex and more capable “tier 1” combatants, deferring major strategic capabilities to what I have stated before, “wunder waffe“, namely, our future nuclear submarine fleet and the broader capability of the United States Navy among other regional allies like Japan, South Korea or even India.
So, what is the right number of major surface combatants for Australia?
Well, at a minimum, it seems that the immediate “sweet spot” is between 16–20 major surface combatants, which would provide the Australian Navy and policymakers with significant tactical and strategic flexibility in the modern context.
Parker unpacks the rationale behind this figure, stating, “The 16–20 major surface combatants recommended in past reviews is reasonable (even allowing for the fact that those recommendations were made when 10 years of strategic warning time were expected).
“In order to support the proposed maritime strategy outlined in this report, 16–20 major surface combatants would allow for three or four concurrent task-group operations – an increase from the one or two achievable under the current force structure. Such operations are not only essential to the requirements of sea denial, sea control and power projection under a maritime resilience and defence-in-depth strategy, in an era of potential conflict in the region, but also allow for support to allies and underpin elements of Australia’s conventional deterrence,” Parker explained further.
Final thoughts
The rapidly deteriorating geopolitical and strategic environment that is transforming the global and regional security paradigm requires a realistic analysis, assessment and acceptance by Australia’s policymakers.
Equally, both the Australian government and the Australian public have to accept and understand that we will need to dramatically increase spending in our national defence and do so over the long term, rather than short-term sugar hits or sleight of hand that push money out over the forward estimates and allow inflation to account for “increases” in spending, despite there being little-to-no new money in real terms.
Ultimately, this comes back to the government’s shift away from a “Balanced Force” towards a “Focused Force” as championed in the Defence Strategic Review and the foundational problem that is our lack of clearly defined role and objectives for our own defence capabilities.
This reality equally fails to account for the planned increase in ADF personnel by 2040 and places ultimate hope in a series of as yet to be developed autonomous systems, cyber or tactical weapons like HIMARs and others that are being shoehorned into fulfilling “strategic” roles to provide both “impactful projection” and deterrence against “any potential adversary”.
Importantly, no one has said that defending the nation in this era of renewed and increasingly capable great power competition will be cheap or easy and we have to accept that uncomfortable reality, because the alternative outcome is infinitely worse.
Get involved with the discussion and let us know your thoughts on Australia’s future role and position in the Indo-Pacific region and what you would like to see from Australia’s political leaders in terms of partisan and bipartisan agenda setting in the comments section below, or get in touch at [email protected] or at [email protected].
The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) anchored off Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, as part of Pacific Partnership 2024-1, Jan. 18, 2024. US Navy Photo
The U.S. Navy and partner nations wrapped up this year’s Pacific Partnership humanitarian and disaster relief mission on Sunday in the state of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, with mission leader Capt. Brian Quin stating the partnership continues to further interoperability and multinational cooperation to build regional resilience in HADR situations.
In a Thursday call with regional media, Quin, Mission Commander for Pacific Partnership 24-1, stated that the missions are at the request of the host nations, with the Navy helping build a plan that suits four lines of efforts: medical, engineering, HADR and host-nation outreach events. “Our focus is on enhancing capabilities and partnerships with our host nations,” he said.
According to Quin, approximately 800 U.S. Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, government civilians and nongovernment agencies, along with military personnel from Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand and Germany, carried out the mission. The majority were embarked on hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), which spearheaded the mission. The mission began on Oct.10 last year and will formally conclude in mid-February, when Mercy returns home to San Diego, stated Quin.
Capt. Jeffrey Feinberg, commanding officer of Mercy, said the multinational mix included German diving medical officers trained in hyperbaric medicine, a British military team of dental specialists, a Japanese neurologist and a New Zealand medical officer. Feinberg said New Zealand also provided helicopter support and interoperability landings on Mercy, with the two their NH-90s assigned a joint Australian, New Zealand and Fijian task force supporting the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) during the 2023 Pacific Games hosted by the Solomon Islands. The Pacific Partnership team, which was also there on its second mission stop, augmented the local medical infrastructure during the games. Navy release stated the medical team also boosted the capacity of Australian security forces by providing 14 days of continuous role II/III surgical coverage to a 500-person multinational task force.
Quin said that five mission stops were carried out in the following order: the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, the state of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. In the Marshall Islands, a team of 13 medical professionals traveled to Aur Atoll embarked on the Marshall Islands Hospital Ship Liwatoon Mour to participate in a tuberculosis eradication campaign on Aur Atoll. “This was the first time in Pacific Partnership history that our medical professionals embarked on a host-nation medical vessel. The team, alongside Marshallese medical professionals, tested all those living on Aur Atoll for tuberculosis. This initiative held significant importance given that the Marshallese people grapple with one of the highest tuberculosis rates globally,” said Quin.
Due to Pohnpei’s inability to accommodate a ship of Mercy’s size, a smaller group of 75 members flew in to work with local professionals at community health engagements. In Palau, Pacific Partnership hosted the One Health conference, an international public health conference on animal-to-human disease outbreak control. The three-day conference was attended by 60 stakeholders from the United States, Palau and other Pacific Island nations. In Chuuk, the final stop, 12 days of medical, engineering, host-nation outreach efforts and HADR capacity building were carried out.
Quin stated that as of Thursday, the mission, in collaboration with partners and host nations, had completed 300 surgeries and 7,000 dental procedures; distributed more than 6,000 prescription eyeglasses, accumulated nearly 4,000 manhours in construction projects, and entertained crowds with 38 band concerts as part of its local community outreach and relationship-building efforts.
Feinberg said that Mercy’s size and capability as a fully functional hospital means there were few limitations on the ship’s medical operations, other than rough seas. The team, however, found a way to mitigate that challenge. “We’re doing surgeries sometimes in people who are severely vision-impaired, and some have balance issues, and so transiting in the sea states can be a challenge for them, and so we actually introduced a specific transport team that helped safely move the patients. And so far we’ve had no issues with any of the patient transfers despite some pretty, pretty aggressive seas,” said Feinberg.
Quin said that while Mercy is often the ship associated with Pacific Partnership, every other year the partnership is carried out with other ships. The 2023 mission was carried out with the dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) and littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS-6). Quin said these ship carry out the same efforts as Mercy, “but just because you don’t see the big white ship with the big red cross doesn’t mean Pacific Partnership isn’t doing great things across the Indo-Pacific region to deepen those enduring bonds of friendship and to support our common values of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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