[Australia]: Sea Power Centre

[Owen]

​

​

Overview​

The Sea Power Centre is designed to promote the study, discussion and awareness of maritime issues relevant to Australia. Sea Power Centre develops strategic thought by providing intellectual rigour to the public debate on maritime strategy. Sea Power Centre's mission is to: Promote understanding of sea power Contribute to regional engagement Preserve and develop Australian naval history The centre delivers contemporary and historical analysis to enhance the current Navy and shape future maritime forces. The centre plays an important role in the Navy's capability development process. The centre was established in the early 1990s. It began as the Maritime Studies Project in April 1990, evolving into the Maritime Studies Program in mid-1991. In January 2000 it was renamed the Sea Power Centre. As an island nation, the sea is Australia’s lifeblood and it is heavily dependent upon it. Australia's trade travels by sea, and thus its economy, prosperity and way of life counts on the sea. Good order at sea is vital to Australia’s economic and environmental welfare and vital to its national security. Sea power is a broad concept that can encompass military and non-military capabilities, including: Maritime industries Shipbuilding Fishing fleets Marine insurance States seek sea power for four broad reasons: To protect seaborne trade To secure marine resources Force projection Strategic deterrence Strategists and historians have developed different definitions of sea power, with different emphases. But most theorists refer to two foundational figures: Alfred Thayer Mahan and Julian Corbett. Both wrote their main works at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth. Scholars still debate their interpretations and influence.