The sinking by submarine attack of the Iranian frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean on 4 March is a blunt reminder that maritime war does not respect the tidy geographic boundaries favoured in policy frameworks. It also exposes a deeper problem for Australia: a navy built around a handful of exquisite ships and submarines is not structured for sustained attrition in a conflict that will not remain nea...
The strongest version of this narrative is that the sinking of the *Dena* serves as a wake-up call for Australia and other maritime nations about the realities of modern naval warfare. The legal and strategic dimensions are clearly articulated: the attack was doctrinally sound, the Indian Ocean is a critical theater, and attrition is re-emerging as a defining feature of conflict. The analysis rightly emphasizes the inadequacy of a boutique navy in sustained combat and the necessity of industrial...