Australia Delivers Guardian-Class Patrol Boat to Marshall Islands to Boost Pacific Maritime Security.

Australia has formally transferred a new Guardian class Patrol Boat, commissioned as RMIS Jelmae, to the Republic of the Marshall Islands during a ceremony in Western Australia. The handover strengthens the island nation’s ability to police its vast maritime domain while reinforcing Canberra’s long-term Pacific security strategy.

The Australian Government on 30 January 2026,  confirmed the delivery of a Guardian-class Patrol Boat to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, marking the latest milestone in Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program. The vessel, commissioned as RMIS Jelmae, was handed over at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, with Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko accepting the ship on behalf of the government. Australian officials described the transfer as part of a sustained effort to support maritime sovereignty, law enforcement, and regional stability across the Pacific.
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The Guardian‑class Patrol Boat, RMIS Jelmae, alongside HMAS Stirling, marking its formal handover to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in Western Australia. (Picture source: Australian MoD)

RMIS Jelmae replaces RMIS Lomor 03, a Pacific Patrol Boat delivered by Australia in 1991 and described as the longest-serving vessel of its class, remaining operational for almost 35 years. In practical terms, this transition marks a shift from legacy patrol craft approaching the end of their viable service life to a newer generation designed around sustained presence at sea, interoperability with partners, and lower operational risk for crews. It also reflects Australia’s intent to make capability delivery more durable, linking platforms to training pipelines and through-life support rather than treating patrol boats as isolated transfers.

The Guardian-class program sits within Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program, presented as a 30-year commitment to partner nations. Canberra states that RMIS Jelmae is the 23rd vessel delivered under this framework and the final Guardian-class Patrol Boat provided to a Pacific partner nation under the program’s current delivery plan. The initiative is backed, according to Australia, by $5.9 billion in investment, covering not only hulls but also sustainment, coordination mechanisms, and operational support that help keep the vessels deployable over time. This matters because patrol fleets in small island states often face a familiar challenge: receiving equipment is easier than maintaining consistent readiness at sea.

The Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivered to the Marshall Islands is based on Austal’s Patrol 40 design, a compact offshore patrol platform tailored for long EEZ missions. The class measures 39.5 metres in overall length, with an 8.1-metre beam and an approximate 2.5-metre loaded draft, a set of dimensions that supports both seakeeping and access to shallow approaches typical of Pacific island operating areas. Accommodation is designed for sustained patrols with 23 berths, reflecting the requirement to embark not only the ship’s crew but also boarding teams and mission personnel.

Propulsion relies on two Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines rated at 2,000 bkW each at 1,600 rpm, coupled to ZF 7650A gearboxes with trolling valves and driving two fixed-pitch propellers. In performance terms, the vessel is rated at 20 knots at 100% maximum continuous rating and provides a 3,000-nautical-mile range at 12 knots, which is central for persistent maritime surveillance across a dispersed archipelago. Navigation and maritime domain awareness are supported by an X-band radar, electronic chart system, DGPS, gyrocompass, autopilot, and depth sounder, while communications include VHF/DSC, MF/HF DSC, UHF military radio, Inmarsat C and SatCom, as well as HF and VHF radio direction finding.

Australia also emphasises the sustainment dimension. In the ceremony statement, First Assistant Secretary Susan Bodell describes the program as delivering enduring sovereign capability supported by through-life sustainment, training and regional coordination. This wording is not incidental. Pacific patrol craft are frequently limited by maintenance cycles, spare parts availability, and crew training continuity. A structured sustainment model reduces the probability that the platform becomes pier-bound after a few years, which is a risk that has undermined several well-intentioned maritime capacity efforts in the broader Indo-Pacific.

From an operational perspective, the Guardian-class is designed as an offshore patrol boat optimized for surveillance, boarding operations, and maritime law enforcement. While configurations can vary by operator, the class is widely understood to displace around 400 tonnes, providing a size and seakeeping advantage over earlier Pacific Patrol Boat generations. That displacement, combined with a modern hullform, supports longer patrol endurance and improved stability for small-boat launch and recovery, which directly affects boarding tempo in real sea conditions rather than on paper.

Sensor fit is another decisive factor for enforcement credibility. Even without the complexity of high-end combat systems, a capable radar picture and reliable communications architecture are what allow a patrol vessel to cue interceptions, track contacts of interest, and share information in near real time with maritime operations centres. In Pacific security, that networking effect is often as valuable as speed, because illegal activity frequently involves dispersed small craft operating across large distances.

RMIS Jelmae gives the Marshall Islands a stronger set of tools for presence operations and maritime interdiction. The ship’s endurance allows it to remain on station long enough to disrupt patterns of illegal fishing rather than simply reacting to reports after the fact. With embarked boarding teams, it can conduct compliant and non-compliant boardings, inspect documentation and catch holds, and enforce national fisheries regulations across a large EEZ. Its communications suite supports coordination with partner aircraft, patrol vessels, and regional maritime surveillance assets, enabling a layered approach where radar tracks and visual identification translate into actionable intercepts. At the operational level, the ship becomes a mobile node for sovereignty, showing flag presence, responding to search-and-rescue incidents, and supporting disaster response logistics when weather events isolate outer islands.

The delivery also carries a wider strategic meaning. Australia is reinforcing a security architecture in the Pacific that competes with other external actors seeking influence through infrastructure, financing, and security agreements. For the Marshall Islands, maritime capability is not merely about policing fisheries, it is a lever of state authority and economic security. For Canberra, the Pacific Maritime Security Program strengthens interoperability and trust with partner forces, while helping shape regional norms around lawful maritime governance. In an Indo-Pacific environment marked by sharper competition, these patrol boat deliveries contribute to a security ecosystem where small states retain agency, maritime boundaries are monitored more effectively, and external coercion becomes harder to apply quietly.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay is a graduate of a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience in the study of conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.