RAN creates new Maritime Warfare Centre

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has opened a centralised warfighting agency called the Maritime Warfare Centre at Garden Island, Sydney.

Designed to enhance the RAN’s lethality in times of conflict, the centre merges the Royal Australian Navy Test and Evaluation Authority and Australian Maritime Warfare Centre into a centralised body.

Captain David Frost, director of the Maritime Warfare Centre, said ‘The First Principles Review and the National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise has driven navy to re-think how they provide warfighting support.

‘Continuous shipbuilding requires continuous design, testing and tactical development, and navy is evolving to meet this challenge.’

The centre will ensure the navy is prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly growing modern navy in partnership with defence and industry, with test and tactics development teams to support navy programmes from inception to completion; planning, collecting and analysing data that will inform critical decisions about current and future systems.

Frost added: ‘In parallel, warfare programme and operational analysis teams will collaborate with agencies to develop plans across sea control, littoral, integrated air and missile defence and information warfare domains. These plans will provide the battle rhythm for all trials, ensuring the right systems are tested at the right time to support the right decisions.’