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A team of experts from UNSW Canberra has unveiled A maritime strategy for Australia 2035, a landmark report charting a long-term vision for the nation’s security, prosperity and strategic direction at sea.
Developed by the university’s Naval Studies Group, the publication sets out a framework to guide Australia’s maritime interests over the next decade and seeks to close what its authors describe as a major gap in national strategy.
Edited by Vice Admiral (Ret’d) Peter Jones and Jennifer Parker, the report has drawn together leading defence thinkers and practitioners to propose an integrated maritime strategy that aligns with Australia’s strategic, economic and industrial realities through to 2035.
“Australia’s security and prosperity depend on the sea,” Parker said.
“Over the past decade, successive governments have acknowledged the central importance of maritime defence capabilities to our national security. Many significant investments have followed.
“However, the next step must be an integrated maritime strategy that brings together all elements of national power. This would be a first for Australia – and that’s exactly what we’ve sought to deliver with this publication.”
Jones said the report continues the Naval Studies Group’s commitment to “practical scholarship” in support of national policy and defence planning.
“Australia’s stated intent to pursue a maritime-focused strategy is not yet matched by the means to achieve it,” he said.
“While substantial investment is planned for the 2030s, there remain serious shortfalls – from mine warfare and logistics capabilities to the absence of a national coastguard.
“This report identifies those gaps and offers practical measures to close them. It’s about turning strategic ambition into real maritime capability – bridging the gap between rhetoric and reality.”
The strategy is structured around three core objectives:
- Deterrence: Building credible combat power centred on the Royal Australian Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine program and a balanced fleet of surface and uncrewed vessels.
- Sea control: Protecting Australia’s maritime trade routes, ports and critical undersea infrastructure.
- Presence: Sustaining regional engagement and operational reach across the Indo-Pacific.
The report also calls for stronger national coordination in maritime governance, funding and capability development. Key recommendations include establishing an Australian sealift command, expanding civil maritime infrastructure, and deepening collaboration between government and industry.
Contributors include Dr Mark Bailey, Dr Richard Dunley, Dr Jack McCaffrie, John Mortimer, Dr John Reeve and Dr Neil Westphalen. The study builds on the Naval Studies Group’s 2022 report Protecting Australian maritime trade, extending its focus from defence planning to a whole-of-nation approach.
Professor Craig Stockings, head of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, described A maritime strategy for Australia 2035 as “a timely and important contribution to national debate”.
“It reminds us that maritime strategy is not just a naval issue,” Stockings said. “It’s the organising logic of national security for a maritime nation like Australia.”
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
