Latest news with #Anzac-class
South China Morning Post
06-04-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Sinking feeling: is Australia's navy ready for a Pacific conflict?
Australia 's navy has long played a crucial role in the defence of the island continent, whose 34,000km (21,000-mile) coastline is surrounded by the vast Pacific, Southern and Indian oceans and separated from Asia by a narrow strip of water. Advertisement But as the threat of conflict in the Asia-Pacific grows, the navy is confronting a 10-year capability gap. With an ageing fleet and dwindling firepower, it has become the focus of an increasingly acrimonious debate about how urgently Australia must prepare for war. 'Australia has no ability to wage a protracted conflict against a powerful adversary,' military historian John Storey told a recent Institute of Public Affairs seminar. 'We cannot replace equipment losses, manufacture our own munitions, we have no capability to ramp up our defence forces in a crisis. And we have minimal capabilities to operate independently of a powerful ally.' These concerns are amplified by a growing sense that time is running out. Amid mounting unease over the war clouds gathering in its neighbourhood and growing doubts about America's commitment to even its staunchest allies, Australia – and its navy in particular – is grievously unprepared should predictions of regional conflict prove prescient. Advertisement While the navy's personnel are highly trained, its fleet consists of only 10 surface combatants: three relatively new Hobart-class air defence destroyers and seven ageing multirole Anzac-class frigates.
Times of Oman
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Australia deploys warships and surveillance aircraft to track Chinese naval task groups near its waters
Canberra: The Australian Navy has deployed three ships and surveillance aircraft to "closely monitor" a Chinese task group operating "near Australia" since mid-February, according to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA). Richard Marles, also serving as deputy Prime Minister, stated on Thursday that the three Anzac-class frigates - HMAS Stuart, HMAS Warramunga, and HMAS Toowoomba - were tracking the Chinese warships, which were located approximately 500 kilometers (310 miles) northwest of Perth, as reported by RFA. "From the moment this task force entered the vicinity of Australia, in an unprecedented manner, we have been observing their movements," Marles mentioned. "We intend to continue monitoring them as long as they remain in the vicinity of Australia," he added, as cited by RFA. The Chinese task group consists of the Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang, the Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi, and the Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu, according to RFA. A report from RFA indicated that on February 21, they conducted a live-fire drill in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand on very short notice, leading airlines to reroute flights to avoid potential accidents. In response to Canberra's concerns, Chinese officials stated that the warships' operations "have consistently been conducted safely, in a standardized and professional manner, and in line with relevant international laws and practices," as reported by RFA. (ANI) While the Chinese vessels have the right to freedom of navigation under international law, analysts noted that China was signaling its capacity to project military power, as highlighted in the RFA report. "It is evident that China is utilizing this naval deployment of three ships to convey a strategic message to Australia and the wider region that China intends to extend its naval capabilities beyond its coastal waters and into the maritime zones of other countries," remarked Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, according to RFA.
