Constabulary Maritime: OPVS And Corvettes On Patrol

Not all naval ships have to be big to be useful. Home waters maritime security can be adequately prosecuted by smaller, yet increasingly more capable vessels.

- Lee Willett

While Europe has woken up relatively recently to the resurgence of state-versus-state naval activity, the Asia-Pacific region has for some time been developing into a major maritime theatre. Analysts have often spoken of the 20th century being the era of the Atlantic Ocean and the 21st century being that of the Pacific. Certainly, since the turn of the century, maritime matters in the Asia-Pacific theatre – and their implications for regional and wider global security – have become a central element of the international strategic balance.

Depending on the geographic perspective taken, the Asia-Pacific region is dominated by the Pacific and Indian oceans, with areas of land (ranging from islands of all sizes to the littoral regions of major continents) fitted around the fringes. Within this maritime mass are key international access and choke points and sea lines of communication, sea spaces ranging from vast oceans to intricate littoral waters, critical natural resources, and economic and territorial assets that are subject to disputes between indigenous states.

Alongside the need to bolster national prestige and international standing, disputes over resources and territories have perhaps been the principal driver for a number of countries in the region to seek a substantial uplift in their naval capabilities.