Coalition Navies During the Korean War: Understanding Combined Naval Operations

140 pages

Dr James Bosbotinis

This is an important and timely volume, given the increasingly unstable geopolitical environment, continuing economic constraints, and the requirement for coalition (either formal or informal) responses by like-minded states to emerging crises. This book, published by Routledge under the auspices of the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, brings together an eminent group of contributors to examine combined naval operations, through the historical lens of the Korean War. The volume editor, Ian Bowers, is the author of The Modernisation of the Republic of Korea Navy: Seapower, Strategy and Politics, whilst other contributors include Professors Tim Benbow and Deborah Sanders of King’s College London, Timothy Hiu-Tung Choi, Richard Dunley, Erik French, Steven Paget, Anders Puck Nielsen, Corbin Williamson, and Jihoon Yu (a Korean sailor-scholar). The depth of the respective contributors’ knowledge is ably shown in this volume.

Across nine chapters, Coalition Navies During the Korean War examines the role of ‘Small Navies in Coalition Operations’, ‘The U.S. Navy and Combined Naval Operations During the Korean War’, ‘The ROKN and Coalition Naval Operations in the Korean War’, the Royal Navy and coalition operations in the Korean War, middle power aircraft carriers with a particular focus on Royal Australian Navy experience in the Korean War, the experience and contributions of the Royal New Zealand and Canadian Navies to operations in Korea, and Danish naval diplomacy in the Korean War. Whilst offering significant insights into the roles and contributions of the respective navies to the defence of South Korea, this book also provides a valuable wider discussion of, for example, defining small/smaller navies, interoperability, the challenges of combined operations, the utility of aircraft carriers for medium powers, and balancing responding to an international crisis and avoiding antagonising both a Great Power Ally and rival. The latter is ably covered in Puck Nielsen’s chapter on ‘Jutlandia: Danish Naval Diplomacy in the Korean War’. Likewise, Benbow’s chapter on the Royal Navy highlights the constraints brought about by “a national strategy that underrated seapower and gave naval forces a low priority” and the ability to act as a ‘convening power’, both points having a marked contemporary relevance.

Coalition Navies During the Korean War provides, as would be expected from the group of contributors it assembles, an excellent analysis of a range of naval issues. It would certainly be most useful to those with an academic or professional interest in maritime strategy, combined operations, the Korean War, and much else. However, the hardback edition is £145.00, and although available as an e-book for £41.99, this reviewer and many others would still prefer a hard copy. It is a great shame that such quality scholarship as contained in this book would be priced out of reach. Contingent on library/institutional access or a preference for the digital edition, Coalition Navies During the Korean War is highly recommended.