In February, Australia announced that it plans to dramatically increase the size of its navy over the next decade. If successful, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) would more than double the number of its major surface combatant ships, from 11 to 26 vessels. This would be the largest the RAN has been since the end … Read more
As part of strengthening the Royal Australian Navy’s surface combat fleet capability, Australia is planning to build a new general-purpose frigate. Now the Albanese government has listed the Mogami-class frigate of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) as one of the four candidates for the navy’s next frigate, with the other three vessels being selected … Read more
Over the weekend Australia and the Philippines began joint naval patrols in the South China Sea. This is the first maritime cooperation activity between the two countries, and comes in the wake of both Australia and the Philippines experiencing recent dangerous provocations from China. Australia is increasingly seeing the Philippines as an essential partner in preserving … Read more