Australia is a trading nation, reliant on international trade for ongoing economic stability and prosperity. To protect this trade, it is logical that one of the Australian Defence Force’s five core tasks—as outlined in the 2024 National Defence Strategy—is to:
‘Protect Australia’s economic connection to our region and the world’— the maritime domain.
This domain encompasses sea denial capabilities, undersea warfare, amphibious operations, control of the air, and localised sea control missions. Maritime and air assets must be able to operate without undue interference from current or potential adversaries.
The maritime domain is a critical part of Australia’s security—controlling the sea and air approaches to the mainland, as well as key trade routes, is essential.
This collection of articles explores the many factors that influence our maritime domain—technology, alliances, capability, scale, resilience, information operations, industry involvement, personnel and climate change, to name but a few.
