Abstract

Despite an extensive history of providing naval gunfire support (NGS) during the twentieth century, the relevance of the capability to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) came under scrutiny at the turn of the twenty-first century. However, the provision of NGS during the 2003 Iraq War indicated that the capability remained useful in the modern era. Furthermore, lessons learned during past RAN operations and those of the Royal Navy and United States Navy demonstrate the enduring relevance of NGS. Australia’s development of an amphibious capability will ensure that NGS remains useful in the future for a number of important reasons, including utility, cost-effectiveness and interoperability.