![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Of course, like Ferdinand, they could fight if they were stung.” 4 Together, the interlocked Australian and New Zealand Coastwatching networks spanned from New Guinea in the northwest to the Pitcairn Islands in the east. The name was, “a reminder to them that it was not their duty to fight, and thus draw attention to themselves… it was their duty to sit, circumspectly and unobtrusively, and gather information. The Australian Coastwatchers were known as Operation Ferdinand, after the children’s book character Ferdinand the Bull. 2 The Coastwatchers intelligence network is one of the greatest intelligence operations of World War II with multiple lessons for future naval intelligence operations in the single naval battle.įollowing World War I, Australia and New Zealand each began building an intelligence network along their coastlines and the archipelagos of the South Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy viewed the chain of islands north of Australia, “as a fence, but a fence with several gates the straits between the islands.” 3 This concept became the reconnaissance screen of the Coastwatchers. Through preparation and effort in the worst of conditions, these units created a reconnaissance screen throughout the South Pacific that was indispensable in the success of the Allies’ single naval battle. The United States Marine Corps describes the single naval battle concept, “Approaching the maritime domain as a singular battlespace (containing land, sea, air and cyber components) offers opportunities through a single naval battle approach that integrates all elements of sea control and naval power projection into a cohesive whole.” 1 Today’s increasingly dynamic and complex security environment creates an imperative for the implementation of the single naval battle concept. The single naval battle seeks to remove artificial seams and create a multi-domain naval force that outmatches an increasingly sophisticated adversary in the application of naval power. The legendary Coastwatchers of World War II provided some of the most critical intelligence of the entire war. ![]()
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