Unpacking the Maritime Elements of the 2026 National Defence Strategy

The Australian Naval Institute hosted a discussion on 6 May 26 examining the maritime elements of the recently released 2026 National Defence Strategy.

The panel explored what the Strategy says about Australia at sea, where capability and investment priorities are heading, and whether current settings align with Australia’s strategic circumstances and maritime requirements.

The discussion examined themes including:

• Australia’s maritime strategy and strategic outlook

• Sea denial and sea control

• Autonomy and emerging technologies

• Strike and Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO)

• Capability priorities and delivery challenges

• Australia’s ability to operate with allies and partners

Panellists

• VADM (Retd) Peter Jones AO DSC AM

• Troy Duggan, CEO, C2 Robotics

• Brigadier (Retd) Will Taylor OBE

Moderator

• Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor, Defence and Security Institute (UWA); ANI Councillor

The Australian Naval Institute is Australia’s independent forum for the exchange of ideas on naval and maritime matters.

For more information or to become a member, visit:

www.navalinstitute.com.au

Inaugurated in 2021, The Australian Naval Institute’s Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize is awarded annually by the ANI to recognise excellence in books making a major contribution to the study and understanding of naval and maritime matters. The Prize is sponsored by the National Shipbuilding College and is named after Commodore Sam Bateman AM RAN (1938-2020), a former ANI Councillor and strategic thinker in recognition of his efforts to raise greater awareness of naval and/or maritime matters and progressing the understanding and value of navies in society.

The winner of the 2025 SBBP is Albert Palazzo and his book, ‘The Big Fix’: Rebuilding Australia’s National Security. The Big Fix is a bold and frequently scathing critique of recent Australian defence policy, framed heavily by the 2024 National Defence Strategy and AUKUS agreement. In an unashamed challenge to the status quo, Albert offers a bold and unique alternative policy perspective for Australia’s defence and in this episode of Saltwater Strategists, host Duncan MacRae sits down with Albert to unpack the book’s many controversial themes.

Key to success in naval and maritime security operations is situational awareness. Collection and collation of battlespace data represents a significant component of operations, often long before the commencement of the main action. The concept and use of a recognised maritime picture is increasingly expanding beyond the naval and military realm with technology increasingly empowering civil security and safety organisations manage the various maritime threat vectors affecting areas such as immigration, illegal fishing, and energy and communications infrastructure under the banner of activity more broadly referred to as maritime domain awareness.

In this short but insightful episode of Saltwater Strategists, Mark Douglas, former New Zealand naval officer and now maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence, gives a detailed insight into how Starboard’s AI-driven platform transforms complex open- and multi-source data into a unified operational picture and delivers actionable maritime domain awareness, helping governments and industry anticipate risk, strengthen resilience, and protect global maritime interests.

Host Duncan MacRae is joined by the Royal Australian Navy’s Warrant Officer Cheryl Collins, OAM CSM, currently Warrant Officer Joint Operations and the Command Senior Enlisted Leader to the Chief of Joint Operations Australia. Having joined the RAN 30 years ago as a young woman from Cootamundra in New South Wales, Cheryl’s career has seen her undertake numerous key leadership positions across training, personnel and operations, including operational service in joint, combined and multinational environments.

Over the course of their discussion, Cheryl provides her perspectives as a female and as a sailor, from her initial sea postings as a Seaman Combat Systems Operator, through multiple stints as a senior sailor aboard operationally deployed warships, in operational headquarters, and to the highest echelons of enlisted leadership in the ADF. From her most recent posting as Warrant Officer Joint Operations, Cheryl offers insights to the value of the senior enlisted leader in the ADF and among our international allies and partners. Through her reflections on this vast experience, Cheryl reveals a modern sailor who is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and innovative, and concludes with some considered advice for sailors and the officers charged with leading them.

John Seymour and Hugh White - National Library Event: https://www.library.gov.au/whats-on/events/australias-naval-alliances-john-seymour-and-hugh-white

In this first episode for 2026, host Duncan MacRae sits down with John Seymour to discuss ‘Australia’s Naval Alliances: Lessons of History’, his new book exploring the development of Australian seapower and naval forces predominantly in the context of Australia’s relationship with Great Britain; from the latter years of the 19th century, through early Federation and World War I, culminating in the fall of Singapore in World War II and Australia’s subsequent turn to the United States as naval protector.

Reflecting the chronological structure of the book’s analysis, Duncan and John explore critical phases of early Australian political and social debate on naval power and the country’s status as a maritime nation before turning to the book’s topical conclusion, a measured yet provocative comparison to the current AUKUS partnership. Considering the historical themes of imperialism, alliance fragility and reliability, technological advancements, cost, and national strategic interest, Australia’s Naval Alliances poses many questions such as when might the US have their ‘Singapore moment’ and how much “blind faith” are Australian policy makers and defence planners placing in the reliability and strategic intent of our allies?

In this final episode of Saltwater Strategists for 2025, host Duncan MacRae sits down with Omni Executive’s Steven Thorpe and Nick Stoker to discuss Australian engagement and partnership in the Pacific region. Omni, an Australian-owned business and sponsor of the Australian Naval Institute, focuses on delivering innovative national security and critical infrastructure solutions to develop Australia's sovereign capability and support the national interest.

As Steven prepares to step into the role of CEO of Omni in February 2026, he and Business Development Manager, Nick, draw on the company’s experience delivering services across the Pacific, and their own unique perspectives from service in the Australian Defence Force, to provide examples and recommendations on matters such as cooperation between national security institutions, Commonwealth and Australian industry collaboration in capacity building, Government policy, and even sport to address a range of challenges facing Australia in positioning itself as a dependable and supportive partner throughout the Pacific, particularly with the island nations of the South-West Pacific.

The recent Indo-Pacific Maritime Trade Exposition and the Royal Australian Navy’s Seapower Conference was the venue for the launch of ‘A Maritime Strategy for Australia – AMS 2035’, a monograph from the Naval Studies Group at the University of New South Wales (Canberra). This timely publication brings together research and analysis from a group of distinguished authors; presenting strategic, policy and practical thinking in support of its ultimate call for the development of a holistic and desperately needed national maritime strategy for Australia.

In this episode of Saltwater Strategists, host Duncan MacRae is joined by the two editors of AMS 2035, Peter Jones and Jennifer Parker, to discuss the publication. Drawing on the ‘Ends-Ways-Means’ structure of the monograph, the conversation investigates Australia’s geopolitical situation and the implications of the maritime nature of Australia’s strategic position before considering the varying elements and stakeholders involved in a comprehensive national maritime strategy. The episode then concludes with a review of some of the study’s recommendations for implementing this strategy.

UNSW Naval Studies Group - https://www.unsw.edu.au/canberra/about-us/our-schools/hass/our-research/maritime-security/naval-studies-group

In this episode of the Australian Naval Institute’s (ANI) Saltwater Strategists, special guest host and ANI Councillor Jen Parker is joined by Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, AO, Chief of the Royal Australian Navy and Patron of the ANI, to discuss the Navy’s transformation in the face of a rapidly changing maritime environment.

Vice Admiral Hammond reflects on the milestones of his tenure as Chief of Navy, including the announcement of the upgraded Mogami-class General Purpose Frigate, the integration of enhanced missile capabilities, and the release of the National Defence Strategy with its strong maritime focus.

The conversation explores how the Navy is reshaping its surface combatant and submarine fleet under AUKUS and the Surface Combatant Review, while also grappling with challenges of fleet readiness and lethality. Admiral Hammond highlights the implications of a changing maritime threat environment, underscoring the need for a capable, adaptive force.

Looking ahead, Vice Admiral Hammond outlines the Navy’s priorities for the coming decade: deepening interoperability with allies and partners such as the United States and Japan, strengthening combat power, and preparing the fleet for high-end warfare. He also reflects on the Navy’s heritage as it approaches its 125th anniversary in 2026 and shares his vision for what the Navy should look like by 2030.

This episode offers listeners a rare insight into how the Royal Australian Navy is navigating a pivotal moment in Australia’s defence strategy, delivering the people, partnerships, and platforms needed for the maritime century.

In this episode of Saltwater Strategists, host Duncan MacRae welcomes former Sri Lankan naval officer Dr Roshan Kulatunga to discuss Sri Lankan maritime strategy through the lens of his recent academic research. Dr Kulatunga holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Peradeniya, where he currently conducts research on maritime strategy, sea power, maritime diplomacy and the security of small island states. He also serves as a Research Associate at the Indo-Pacific Study Centre.

Dr Kulatunga describes the historical origins of contemporary naval and maritime security in Sri Lanka before drawing on applicable strategic theories such as Shelter Theory by Iceland’s Buldur Thorhallsson, and more traditional naval theorists such as Mahan, to argue the case for a deliberate, cohesive maritime strategy which brings together the full community of Sri Lankan maritime agencies and stakeholders. Through this unified strategy, supported by a strongly engaged academic and practitioner community, Sri Lanka will be best placed to face future strategic challenges.

The trilateral AUKUS agreement has drawn significant attention to the matter of naval shipbuilding across all three participant nations. Joining host Duncan MacRae to discuss the many challenges facing naval shipbuilding programs in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, is Dr Emma Salisbury, Sea Power Research Fellow at the Council on Geostrategy and an Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre.

Emma has conducted significant research focused on the history and concept of the military-industrial complex, and she writes widely on military procurement, naval strategy, and defence innovation in the UK, Europe, and the United States. Through examples of industrial policy, defence strategy, the US Constellation-class frigate program and of course, AUKUS, Duncan and Emma explore the current challenges facing naval shipbuilding and their impact on the industry’s ability to support not only current order books but also deal with wartime attrition before considering various policy, financial and operational remedial measures currently underway.

For those interested in a deeper dive, this recent podcast episode from the Centre for Maritime Strategy provides a particularly US perspective:

https://centerformaritimestrategy.org/publications/from-keel-to-commissioning-how-to-build-more-ships/

Further interesting content can also be found at the following links:

Emma Salisbury: www.emmasalisbury.info

Council on Geostrategy: www.geostrategy.org.uk

Council on Geostrategy’s online magazine: www.thebroadside.org.uk

War On The Rocks podcast: www.warontherocks.com