Publication:Sea Talk Spring 2003/New fleet priorities
A message from Rear Admiral Raydon Gates, Maritime Commander Australia
Since September 11, 2001 the fleet has made significant progress pursuing Navy's vision and mission. By contributing to Australia's security and fighting and winning in the maritime environment as part of a combined force, our Navy has earned an international reputation for excellence as a sea power and the support of a proud nation.
As Maritime Commander I am very pleased with the extraordinary effort by fleet and support personnel that has allowed us to simultaneously protect our borders, fight terrorism and help liberate Iraq in our busiest operational period since World War II. We are now entering a period of slowing operational tempo as our commitment to the Persian Gulf reduces.
However, the Government remains committed to border protection, fighting terrorism and the security of our region. We must continue current operations while expecting and preparing for future operations in support of these policies. Our achievements amid such an intense period of operations has come at a cost.
The cost to our people has been high, with greater times away from homeports and families resulting in a marked increase in outstanding leave and the postponement of vital professional development training.
In preparing for the very specific needs of our operations over the last two years, some aspects of our core warfighting skills such as interoperability, anti-submarine and amphibious warfare have not been sufficiently exercised.
Individual skill development, such as Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) or technical training has also been affected by our operational tempo.
The heavy workload on our ships, submarines, aircraft and equipment has brought with it an increased maintenance burden.
As our operational tempo reduces, I have directed Maritime Command to focus on refreshing and developing our people, reinvigorating our core warfighting skills and improving the state of our platforms and equipment as part of the Navy-wide reconstitution effort.
The publication Our Direction - Maritime Command Priorities 2003/04 provides more information on the fleet's priorities for the financial year ahead. I commend it to personnel in the fleet and supporting organisations.
Further information is also available on the Maritime Command DefWeb intranet site at http://mhq.defence.gov.au
