RAN Reading List
Modern Maritime Strategy
Positioning Navies for the Future: Challenge and Response
Edited by Jack McCaffrie
published by Halstead Press, Sydney, 2006
This book contains the proceedings of the RAN Sea Power Conference 2004, including wide ranging discussions on policy, strategy, operations, technology and future visions. Contributors include some of the most credible practitioners and academics who influence current maritime thinking in many of today's navies. Although the collection is a 'must read' for Australians interested in international relations and strategic studies, it is much more. It brings together the collective thoughts of some of the world's leading maritime nations, and hence offers a much wider perspective than many equivalent Anglo-centric works. It also effectively documents the recent discourse on maritime issues, including: expeditionary operations, littoral warfare, technological transformation, self sufficiency, oceans governance and maritime counter-terrorism. The future challenges identified by the 'Young Turks' were particularly illuminating and it will be interesting to revisit their suggestions in 2022. Of course, while many of us see the 21st century as one of constant change, this book subtly demonstrates that the fundamentals of naval strategy and the need for navies remain the same.
