HMAS Stirling Hosts Multiple Regional Visitors

HMAS Stirling (Captain Brett Wolski) has hosted multiple regional visitors recently, with Malaysian Navy to Navy Talks and the Inaugural ASEAN Defence Ministerial Plus (ADMM-Plus) Maritime Security Experts’ Working Group Meeting both occurring in Western Australia in July.

The Malaysian/Australian Navy talks, headed by Royal Malaysian Navy’s RADM Dato’ Musa bin Omar occurred over two days at Stirling and covered such topics as training cooperation, bilateral maritime exercise program, submarine escape and recue cooperation and exchanged views on regional strategic issues in the maritime domain.

The tour of HMAS Dechaineaux (Commander Jason Cupples) in addition to the Submarine Escape Training Facility and other training facilities provided a solid grounding for future training cooperation opportunities and technical discussions.

The ADMM-Plus delegates travelled from sixteen of the eighteen ADMM-Plus nations, with only Russia and Burma unable to attend. The conference consisted of delegates participating in discussions and tours that revolved around the focus-areas of “What is maritime security?”, Maritime security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region and scope for ADMM-Plus EWG to address regional maritime security vulnerabilities.

Topics of discussion were reinforced in the Australian context by the ADMM-Plus delegates being provided with a tour of the port facilities of Fremantle. The delegates also gained a first hand look of an ANZAC Class frigate and boarding party to demonstrate the capability of one of Navy’s maritime security resources. HMAS Warramunga (Commander Michael Turner) hosted the delegates, demonstrating the range of functions of the FFH, including an Anzac Class operations room during an air warfare simulation.

One of the hosts of the regional Defence visitors, CDRE Vince Di Pietro, Director General Navy Capability and Plans; said that it is an important part of Navy’s business to build on the relationship that the Australian Navy has with regional neighbours.

“Bilateral and multilateral fora such as these meetings are a key element in Australia’s regional engagement strategy,” he said.

“Our region must ensure a collective and collaborative approach to protecting how we use the sea, recognising its value as a medium for transportation and communication, as well as an environmental resource.”

The Malaysian/Australian Navy talks will continue on an annual basis, alternating locations between Malaysian and Australian Navy establishments.

The ADMM-Plus EWG meeting will convene again in approximately six months time in Malaysia. Future dialogue is likely to revolve around defining practical activities of the ADMM-Plus EWG to compliment the work of existing fora, efforts to build capacity through agreement to joint table-top and field exercises, defining the role of Defence as determined by the level of force required and possible use of Changi Command and Control Centre and Information Fusion Centre in Singapore as venues for table-top exercises.

[mappress]

Source: navy, August 5, 2011;