Australian Surface Fleet Review
Australian Government program to outline the future of the Navy
The Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant Review (or the Surface Fleet Review) was a 2024 independent review of the surface fleet of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), that was authorised as a result of the larger Defence Strategic Review. It considered and recommended actions the RAN needed to take to solidify Australia's war-fighting capabilities on the maritime front. The review aims to counteract China and 'Chinese coercion' in the region. It was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy on 20 February 2024.
Upon governmental approval, the review established several programs, including a General Purpose Frigate Program, an optionally-crewed arsenal ship program, as well as various programs to improve the capability of existing ship classes. These programs were divided into three tiers, each corresponding to different levels of ship capability. The review also focused on shipbuilding programs and infrastructure, and on the procurement of missiles.
Background
The Surface Fleet Review, as well as the Defence Strategic Review, aim to counteract the increasing military power of a belligerent China. This coupled with the major focus and prioritisation of the Australian Army over other branches has created a ground for focus on the neglected Royal Australian Navy. In 2019, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy had a fleet of 335 ships, 55% larger than in 2005.
The public source identifies “Australian Surface Fleet Review” as australian Government program to outline the future of the Navy. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Australian, Surface and Fleet.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q126721100. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2024, 2019 and 2005.
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This entry incorporates text from “Australian Surface Fleet Review” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.