Royal Australia Navy
| Royal Australian Navy | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1911–present |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 14,215 Permanent personnel 8,493 Reserve personnel 47 commissioned ships 2 non-commissioned ships |
| Part of | Australian Defence Force |
| Headquarters | Russell Offices, Canberra |
| Motto(s) | Serving Australia with Pride |
| March | "Royal Australian Navy" |
| Anniversaries | 10 July |
| Engagements | |
| Website | www |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-chief | General Sir Peter Cosgrove As Governor-General of Australia |
| Chief of the Defence Force | Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin |
| Vice Chief of the Defence Force | Vice Admiral Ray Griggs |
| Chief of Navy | Vice Admiral Tim Barrett |
| Deputy Chief of Navy | Rear Admiral Michael Noonan |
| Commander Australian Fleet | Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign (1967–present) |  |
| Naval Jack | .svg) |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Reconnaissance | Sikorsky MH-60R |
| Trainer | Bell 429 GlobalRanger, Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel |
| Transport | NHIndustries NH90 |
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces. Originally intended for local defence, the navy was granted the title of 'Royal Australian Navy' in 1911, and became increasingly responsible for defence of the region.
Britain's Royal Navy continued to support the RAN and provided additional blue-water defence capability in the Pacific up to the early years of World War II. Then, rapid wartime expansion saw the acquisition of large surface vessels and the building of many smaller warships. In the decade following the war, the RAN acquired a small number of aircraft carriers, the last of these paying off in 1982.
Today, the RAN consists of 47 commissioned vessels, 3 non-commissioned vessels and over 16,000 personnel. The navy is one of the largest and most sophisticated naval forces in the South Pacific region, with a significant presence in the Indian Ocean and worldwide operations in support of military campaigns and peacekeeping missions. The current Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral Tim Barrett.
The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the federation of Australia, when the naval forces of the separate Australian colonies were amalgamated. A period of uncertainty followed as the policy makers sought to determine the newly established force's requirements and purpose, with the debate focusing upon whether Australia's naval force would be structured mainly for local defence or whether it would be designed to serve as a fleet unit within a larger imperial force, controlled centrally by the British Admiralty. In 1908–09, the decision was made to pursue a compromise solution, and the Australian government agreed to establish a force that would be used for local defence but which would be capable of forming a fleet unit within the imperial naval strategy, albeit without central control. As a result, the navy's force structure was set at "one battlecruiser, three light cruisers, six destroyers and three submarines".
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