RAN to shift focus from battles to piracy.

[gf0012-aust]

Navy to shift focus from battles to piracy, By John Kerin, 06feb04

WARSHIPS will take on a greater policing role to counter escalating threats to shipping and national security such as piracy, kidnappings and smuggling, navy chief Admiral Chris Ritchie said.

In a speech to a maritime conference in Sydney on the role of the navy post-September 11, Rear Admiral Ritchie said the service was being called on to perform a wider range of tasks beyond traditional warfare.
These included intercepting illegal cargoes, smugglers, fishermen and traffickers in missiles and weapons of mass destruction. "Maritime piracy, kidnapping and smuggling are on the rise," Admiral Ritchie said.

"Piracy in Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia accounts for 60 per cent of piracy worldwide and poses a serious threat to our mutual maritime traffic safety in this region."

There were 454 pirate attacks on merchant shipping last year, according to an International Maritime Bureau report, Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships, with 92 people confirmed killed or missing - nearly three times as many as in 2002.

"If I were willing to risk ... prediction, it would be that the navy will in the future be even more closely involved in maintaining and enforcing good order at sea," he said.

Admiral Ritchie also predicted the navy would be called on more to play a bigger role in protecting offshore oil and gas installations.

A report by the Navy Sea Power Centre released in October last year warned that oil and gas platforms in the Timor Sea were vulnerable to attack by al-Qa'ida-linked terror groups that have already targeted tankers in waters near The Philippines and Indonesia.

The report recommended stepping up navy and air patrols and enforcing exclusion zones around the facilities.

Admiral Ritchie said threats from terrorism through smuggling of weapons of mass destruction and missiles meant the navy was also likely to maintain a high operational tempo to protect Australia.

"Attacks in New York, Washington, Bali and Jakarta demonstrate the way in which ... (terrorist) groups can employ relatively simple and inexpensive ways to apply intense pressure on governments," he said.

"Notwithstanding the strengthening of global economic ties, we are likely to see continuing military and nuclear tension, WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and missile proliferation."

 

[Awang se]

This area has a lot of tiny Islands and coral reefs. pirates could easily laid anchor and avoid detection in one of them. The authorities don't have enough assets to go around each one of them.

 

[Aussie Digger]

That's right Awang se, that's what Maritime Patrol Aircraft are for, and in the future Globalhawk...

 

[gf0012-aust]

This area has a lot of tiny Islands and coral reefs. pirates could easily laid anchor and avoid detection in one of them. The authorities don't have enough assets to go around each one of them.

In the main Australia's region of responsibility is not as complicated, and I guess we would only be using our assets in the environment you describe if we were invited by the host nation.

We are building and paying for some coastal patrol vessels for Indonesia so that they can better patrol their waters, so there wouldn't appear to be a need for Australian ships to even be in the areas you describe. (Unless we were engaged in "hot pursuit" and that would require clearance from Indonesia anyway.

 

[Awang se]

Still, even with the entire Australian and the SEA fleets combine, there's just to many area that need to be covered. Philipine alone, for exampled consist of almost 5000 islands. We barely cover the usual sea route, let alone finding the pirates bases.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Awang se, true, but you can narrow down the odds if you are using UAV's. It will be interesting to see how we can interact and resolve this when we have access to 12 x Global Hawks, the 4 x Wedgetail AWAC's, 8 Orions (assuming we get rid of 13 when we get the GH's) and other air assets such as Singapores E3's and Indoneasias Searchwater equipped Nomads.

We have used Pavetac and FLIR on the F111s to track and trail solo sailors, so we can use them as well for Piracy mapping.

If it can be co-ordinated, it can be made less difficult. But, it is incredibly difficult as you say.

 

[Aussie Digger]

I don't think he was saying that Australia will tackle piracy throughout South East Asia singlehandedly... I would think it would be more of a case that we would assist other nations where requested and deal with any such problems ourselves within our own territorial waters. In addition to which, Piracy like terrorism is primarily a law enforcement problem, not a military problem. You shouldn't over look the role of say the Australian Federal Police and other international police agencies in combatting this problem. Maritime surveillance for these kinds of problems is only one way that this problem is approached and dealt with. Cheers.

 

[Awang se]

Allright then, i guest we solve the " how to track" problem. But how about "How to ID" problem. a harmless Fishing boat could turn out to be "armed and dangerous". FLIR or IRST can be use, but they have limited range. Radar can detect and ID the boats at very long range, provided the boats carry some kind of transponder. Not all boat in this region carry transponder, so the operator can only get several hundreds unmark blips on the screen.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Allright then, i guest we solve the " how to track" problem. But how about "How to ID" problem. a harmless Fishing boat could turn out to be "armed and dangerous". FLIR or IRST can be use, but they have limited range. Radar can detect and ID the boats at very long range, provided the boats carry some kind of transponder. Not all boat in this region carry transponder, so the operator can only get several hundreds unmark blips on the screen.

True, but that is why Malaysia, Singapore, Aust, NZ, the US and UK (and IIRC Sth Korea) have wanted to set up an mutual interdiction force in the Indon straits so that search and seize can be enacted. The resistance (to date) has been Indonesia, they've argued that they can deal with the problem - when it does appear to be rather apparent that they cannot. Some of that is due to corrupt military officials getting kickbacks from Pirates.

Hence why Aust and Indonesia have set up joint Police operations, Aust has paid for training of Indon police (IIRC $6million in direct funding for that alone), why we are co-operating in having common laws that are binding and transferrable on civil and common law offences etc...

Its a huge project, so there are many ways to tackle it. None of the proposals have involved nations acting unilaterally

 

[Aussie Digger]

I'm not sure if it was GF's intention, but the RAN will not be concentrating on battling piracy to the detriment of their warfighting capability either. Look at the new programs for the RAN. New air warfare destroyers, upgraded FFG's (new Standard SM2 missles, evolved Sea Sparrow, Harpoon 2, MU-90 torpedo's) upgraded ANZAC frigates (evolved sea sparrow, Harpoon 2, MU-90 topredo's, Mistral <probably> Short range air defence missiles, SH-2GA Super Seasprite Helicopters armed with Penguin Anti-Ship Missiles and MU-90's), 2 new Amphibious Warfare Ships, 1x New "large" sealift ship, upgraded Collins Class submarines with a new fire control system, new sonar, new Mk 48 ADCAP torpedo's etc etc. Doesn't really sound like a Navy wholly committed to anti-piracy ops does it?

 

[gf0012-aust]

A-Dig, I left out the issue that our Customs vessel will be armed and given the authority to shoot. That is to let them act with relative autonomy rather than tie up combat assets.

I can only forsee Aust combat elements used in piracy roles in an ad hoc situation, not as a primary task - it devalues the capability of the assets if we turn them into pirate chasers etc..

however, on an issue of hot pursuit (like what Sth Africa and the UK did on our behalf with fish poachers) is more likely.

Indonesia may identify a threat and we would act on behalf of the Indon Govt to pursue and engage if requested and if in International waters. We would not enter territorial waters unless invited to do so by the host govt.

 

[Red aRRow]

A good start IMO would be that the S.E Asian countries along with Australia concentrate on the busy shipping routes and constitute a rapid reaction force which would response to any emergency call by a ship under attack. Then gradually intelligence should be used and the circle of influence increased. But as A.Digger said it is a law enforcement problem rather than a military one.