King-Hall Naval History Conference 2009

THE COMMONWEALTH NAVIES: 100 YEARS OF COOPERATION

The sixth biennial King-Hall Conference will be held in Canberra on 30-31 July 2009. The conference will be organised by the Sea Power Centre - Australia with assistance from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. The King-Hall Conference has become a significant event in the national and international sea power communities for its wide-ranging discussion of topical naval historical and maritime strategic issues. The conference is open to the public, and previous events have attracted a wide range of naval historians, academics and retired and serving military personnel, as well as interested lay people from Australia and overseas.

The theme of the 2009 conference is Commonwealth Navies: 100 Years of Cooperation. In 1909, Australia, with the encouragement of of the British Admiralty, decided to acquire a modern ocean-going fleet; one which would not only protect local ports and shipping from enemy incursions but also support the Royal Navy in its determination to retain command of the sea. Other members of the Empire followed, and over the next 100 years the various Commonwealth navies have routinely sailed together in both peace and war and with a remarkable degree of interoperability. Arguably the most successful international grouping of its type, Commonwealth naval cooperation can also be seen as the precursor to more recent intitiatives such as the US Navy’s Maritime Partnership.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Venue: Adams Hall, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra ACT.
Registration: Registration will be at no cost, however, the number of delegates will be limited by the size of the venue. Early contact with the Sea Power Centre - Australia is recommended (Registration includes lunch and light morning tea).

Download the Registration form (pdf).
Download the Conference flyer (pdf).
View the draft conference program.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Sea Power Centre-Australia
Conference Co-ordination Cell
Department of Defence
Canberra ACT 2600

Tel: (02) 61276514
Fax: (02) 61276521
Email: Seapower.conferences@defence.gov.au