Introduction

Navies of South-East Asia aims to provide a comprehensive survey of the development and operations of the navies of South-East Asia since the end of the Second World War. These services have rarely been the subject of systematic attention by either strategists or academics but, as their parent nations develop and as the maritime strategic balance within East Asia becomes more complex and open to challenge through the rise of China, the various navies are likely to play an increasingly significant role. While most have had only limited military capability in the past, the majority are acquiring new capabilities, most notably submarines, which will profoundly alter their ability to influence events and the way in which they are regarded by their neighbours–and by the great powers.