Commander Australian Fleet Commander Australian Fleet ( COMAUSFLT ) , also referred to as Fleet Commander Australia ( FCAUST ) , is a senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) , holding full command of all Navy combat forces and responsibility for all maritime operations within the Australian Defence Force ( ADF ) . The rank associated with the position is rear admiral ( two - star ) . The title first came into use in 2007 . Previous titles for the position since 1913 have been : History . Prior to 1913 , all naval activities and forces in Australian waters were controlled by the British Royal Navy . In 1859 , Australia Station was established as a separate command of the Royal Navy , responsible for all the waters around the Australian continent , in addition to the British and Australian colonial possessions in the South Pacific . It was at this stage that the forerunner of Commander Australian Fleet , Officer Commanding Imperial Squadron Australian Station , was created . Between the Federation of Australia and formation of the Commonwealth Naval Forces in 1901 to the year of 1913 , the Royal Navy began a process of transferring all command responsibility in Australian waters over to the Australian Government , as well as replacing equipment and personnel with Australian variants . The Commonwealth Naval Forces were renamed to Royal Australian Navy in 1911 . With the transfer complete in 1913 , the position of Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Fleet was formed , with control over all naval combat operations and forces ; the post was renamed Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Squadron in 1926 . Despite this position being a command of the RAN , the majority of occupants were Royal Navy officers attached to , or on loan to , the RAN . In 1949 , Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Squadron was redesignated Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet . This was followed by a renaming to Maritime Commander Australia in 1988 , and more recently to Commander Australian Fleet in 2007 . Throughout its existence , the command has administered Australian naval forces as they have been deployed for duty in the First World War , Second World War , Malayan Emergency , Korean War , Indonesian Confrontation , Vietnam War , Gulf War , War in Afghanistan and Iraq War , in addition to peacekeeping operations . The rank associated with this position today is rear admiral , however some of the earlier appointees held a different rank . During the East Timor operations of 1999 – 2000 , the then Maritime Commander Australia held the Task force designator Commander Task Force 627 , which is probably still in use . Role and responsibilities . The role and responsibilities of the Commander Australian Fleet is principally to " plan , prepare for , and conduct maritime operations for the protection and promotion of Australia ' s security and interests " . With this directive , the operations carried out or planned by the Commander Australian Fleet or his staff fall into three distinct categories : defence of sovereign territory , protection of overseas trade and offshore resources , and contingencies . The Commander Australian Fleet holds full command responsibility over RAN combat forces , and is responsible to the Chief of Navy — the administrative head of the RAN — for the execution of maritime tasks and training in regards to combat roles and operations . The Commander Australian Fleet additionally holds the role of Maritime Component Commander within Headquarters Joint Operations Command ( HQJOC ) , responsible to the Chief of Joint Operations ( CJOPS ) as the head of naval activities within operational theatres . The rear admiral ' s seagoing subordinate is Commodore , Warfare , previously Commodore , Flotillas ( COMFLOT ) . This commodore is the designated ready task group commander . Previous commanders . The following list chronologically records those who have held the post of Commander Australian Fleet or its preceding positions . However , the position of Officers Commanding Imperial Squadron Australian Station ( 1859 – 1913 ) is not included in this list as it was administered as a command of the Royal Navy , and existed before the formation of the Royal Australian Navy . The official title of the commander at that period of time is listed immediately before the officers who held that role . The rank and honours are as at the completion of the commander ' s term . Footnotes . " HM " ( His / Her Majesty ' s ) is not always included when referring to these titles .