The Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales

 
Amphibious Operations Seminar - 27 May 2014

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is developing an amphibious task force based on two new 27,000 tonne amphibious assault ships with a view to the main permanent component, the Amphibious Task Group, being certified operational by 2017, and with a smaller Amphibious Ready Element due to be certified operational in 2015. This will be a major leap in Australia's amphibious capability and potentially will become a key enabler of Australia's maritime strategy, but there is confusion in political and wider community circles as to what amphibious operations involve in the 21st century and what new options this capability might enable the ADF to offer the Australian government. An international panel of five experts explained in lay terms what amphibious operations are and what this new capability can be expected to deliver in the short and medium terms. It will include contemporary case studies which illustrate the utility of modern amphibious forces and the types of missions and tasks that they undertake.

The panel included:
Rear Admiral Mark Campbell, CSC, RAN
Brigadier David Leece, PSM, RFD, ED (Ret'd)
Colonel Jim Hutton, OBE, Royal Marines
Colonel John Mayer, United States Marine Corps
Captain Jay Bannister, RAN

Tuesday 27 May 2014
Wesley Conference Centre 220 Pitt Street, Sydney
13:30 - 17:30 hrs

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PROGRAMME

1300 - 1330 REGISTRATION   1330 - 1400 Amphibious operations: an introduction This presentation will explain what amphibious operations are and describe the different types of amphibious operations. Presenter: Brigadier David Leece, PSM, RFD, ED (Ret'd) President, Royal United Service Institute, New South Wales   1400 - 1430 Contemporary amphibious operations: The British military intervention in the Sierra Leone civil war in 2000 - case study This presentation will describe an operation conducted by a British amphibious ready group to evacuate foreign civilians trapped in the civil war in May 2000. Presenter: Colonel Jim Hutton, OBE, Royal Marines Deputy Commander, Australian Amphibious Task Group   1400 - 1430 Contemporary amphibious operations: The British military intervention in the Sierra Leone civil war in 2000 - case study This presentation will describe an operation conducted by a British amphibious ready group to evacuate foreign civilians trapped in the civil war in May 2000. Presenter: Colonel Jim Hutton, OBE, Royal Marines Deputy Commander, Australian Amphibious Task Group   1430 - 1500 Contemporary amphibious operations: 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, United States Marine Corps, in the Pacific - case study This presentation will describe recent operations conducted by the 31 Marine Expeditionary Unit, United States Marine Corps, in the Pacific. It will give an insight into contemporary situations necessitating amphibious intervention. Presenter: Colonel John Mayer, USMC Colonel Amphibious, Deployable Joint Force Headquarters, Australia   1500 - 1530 Contemporary amphibious logistics operations This presentation will outline how contemporary amphibious logistics operations as employed in disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and the like are planned and conducted. Presenter: Captain Jay Bannister, RAN Commander, Australian Amphibious Task Group   1530 - 1600 AFTERNOON TEA/COFFEE 1600 - 1645 Keynote Address: Australia's developing amphibious capability This presentation will outline the amphibious capability that Australia is developing and provide a realistic assessment of the options that it will enable the ADF to offer to the Australian government over the next 20 years. Presenter: Rear Admiral Mark Campbell, CSC, RAN Head of Navy Capability   1645 - 1730 Panel discussion with audience participation