WORLD NAVIES OVERVIEW 2022
Although the world has remained focused on the progress of the current pandemic, the past year has also been a significant one in the naval sphere. Global tensions driven by the expansionary visions of Chinese and Russian leaders have inevitably spawned reactions that have extended to the maritime domain. Naval procurement, technology and operational doctrine have all felt the resulting impact.
The Asia-Pacific region – the focal point of China’s maritime ambitions – has remained the main area for global naval developments. In mid-September 2021 the announcement of the AUKUS security pact saw the Royal Australian Navy abandon its longstanding plans to purchase French-designed dieselelectric submarines in favour of acquiring Anglo-American nuclear technology. The main driver behind the decision was Australia’s growing realisation it needed the speed and endurance inherent in nuclearpowered boats to balance expanding People’s Liberation Army Navy capabilities.
Concern over China has had other, sometimes unusual consequences. October 2021 saw a fixed-wing combat aircraft land on a Japanese warship for the first time since World War II, when two US Marine Corps F-35B strike fighters briefly operated from the ‘helicopter-carrying destroyer’ . Japan is in the course of purchasing its own F-35Bs, which will regularly operate from and her sistership when the necessary modifications have been carried out.
