News, Articles and Comment

Ed. With a study of American maritime strategy, ranging from Mahan to Huntington, the practitioner author believes that the era of the Panoceanic Navy, focused on competitive sea control and sustained sea denial, has begun. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, March edition. A 50 minute read.

Ed. It was timely that Dr Nina Baker’s book on the brave Scottish Merchant Navy women who lost their lives in World War II should cross our desks the other week and I am grateful to Lt Cdr Helen Taylor RN for reviewing it. It generated the question, what about the 75,000 members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service known as the WRNS? It was a less enlightened era so their primary purpose was ‘to free up manpower to serve at sea’ but that meant that they got to serve in many important roles across the war effort from parachute packing, to ammunition technicians, photographers, coxswains, drivers, photographers and coders. Our grateful thanks to Dr Jo Strange for the following taken from her book on the history of the WRNS published in 2016.

Ed. The author provides an overview of the Armada campaign of 1588, arguing that the fundamental flexibility of mission command can be seen in England’s early modern fleet leadership. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author takes a closer look at the radical implications for RN personnel branches in the Hybrid Navy model. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Our correspondent comments on NR 114/1’s report on the current status of the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB).

Ed. Our correspondent reflects on the development of the Type 45’s shipborne air defence as a hull form problem.

Ed. The author reviews the defence and foreign policy background of Operation FORTIS, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s 2021 Indo-Pacific deployment, considering the operation a watershed in post-Cold War British foreign policy. A 10 minute read.

Ed. A warm welcome to 2026! What a year, already, which may bring a new world order. The Chairman has outlined the current global challenges, but the current pace of events is such that with a turnaround time of three weeks for the hardcopy there may well be more. As we stand away from the map as far as it is possible, one can see and feel the paradigm shift of global reality underway, probably the biggest and most significant movement in over 100 years.

Ed. The author critiques senior leadership reform in the Royal Navy, demonstrating a chain of unresolved logic, cognitive dissonance, and moral hazards that can arise when cultural diagnosis stops short of self-accountability. A 15 minute read.