'I'm not looking at flags'
When you took command last year, you spoke of enhancing the Pacific Command's battle preparedness, particularly anti-submarine warfare and heightened Ballistic Missile Defence. But do you think that our two navies will ever fight a conventional war again? Is it not more likely that the threat will come from the forces of terror? How are fleets like your coping with that challenge?
Navies must be prepared to fight and win a nation's wars. And although I would to say that our navy will never be employed to fight another war, and many many of my predecessors have had the same feeling, that has not been the nature of history.
Today, we are confronted with a new type of threat, the transnational threat of terrorism, piracy and things of that nature, but there's also the potential for conflict all the time, and it is my responsibility to ensure that the navy is prepared to do that.
We talked about the flow of commerce on the world's oceans. In my emphasis on anti-submarine warfare, a submarine is a very very effective weapon in disrupting that commerce. We have seen it since the advent of the submarine. The capabilities of submarines today are increasing, their numbers are increasing. And as a naval officer in my navy, I must be prepared to counter that capability.
And a lot of time people will say what flag is on that submarine? I am not looking at flags. I see developments in technology and focus on, okay, if that capability were deployed against my navy, we must be able to dominate it. And that's where my focus and emphasis is regarding anti-submarine warfare.
Ballistic missiles are proliferating in numbers and sophistication. How do we counter that threat, so that it doesn't become an area we are weak in? We in the navy have had some very good success in being able to do that. Much of our testing is actually done in Hawaii, near my headquarters. And we are very pleased with the way that programme is working out.
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Photograph: Jewella C Miranda