Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy
Founded	1 March 1901; 123 years ago (1901-03-01)
Country	Australia
Branch	Navy
Role	Naval warfare
Size	16,000 permanent personnel 4,607 reserve personnel 27 commissioned ships 11 non-commissioned ships[1]
Part of	Australian Defence Force
Headquarters	Russell Offices, Canberra
Motto(s)	To fight and win at sea[2]
March	"Royal Australian Navy"
Anniversaries	10 July
Fleet	2 landing helicopter docks 1 landing ship dock 6 submarines 3 destroyers 7 frigates 3 patrol boats 8 non-commissioned patrol boats 2 minehunters 1 survey ship 2 replenishment oilers
Engagements	First World War Second World War Korean War Malayan Emergency Indonesian Confrontation Vietnam War Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War
Website	www.navy.gov.au
Commanders
Chief of the Defence Force	Admiral David Johnston
Vice Chief of the Defence Force	Air Marshal Robert Chipman
Chief of Navy	Vice Admiral Mark Hammond
Deputy Chief of Navy	Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley
Commander Australian Fleet	Rear Admiral Christopher Smith
Insignia
Naval ensign
Naval jack
Pennant
King's Colours
Aircraft flown
Multirole helicopter	MH-60R Seahawk
Trainer helicopter	EC-135T2+

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN)^[3] Vice Admiral Mark Hammond. The Chief of Navy is also jointly responsible to the Minister for Defence (MINDEF) and the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The Department of Defence, which is a part of the Australian Public Service, administers the ADF, and ergo, the Royal Australian Navy.^[4] In 2023, the Surface Fleet Review was introduced to outline the future of the Navy.

The navy was formed in 1901 as the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF) through the amalgamation of the colonial navies of Australia following the federation of Australia. Although it was originally intended for local defence, it became increasingly responsible for regional defence as the British Empire started to diminish its influence in the South Pacific.

The Royal Australian Navy was initially a green-water navy, as the Royal Navy provided a blue-water force to the Australian Squadron, which the Australian and New Zealand governments helped to fund; the squadron was assigned to the Australia Station. This period lasted until 1913, when naval ships purchased from Britain arrived, although the British Admiralty continued to provide blue-water defence capability in the Pacific and Indian Oceans up to the early years of the Second World War.^[5]

During its history, the Royal Australian Navy has participated in a number of major wars, including the First and Second World Wars, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation and the Vietnam War. As of 2024, the RAN consists of over 52 commissioned vessels, 11 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.