News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author draws parallels between the legacy of Arctic science and exploration representative of the Franklin Expedition of 1845, with the contemporary development of the Royal Canadian Navy and the race for the High North. A 30 minute read.

Ed. Two letters addressing the Allied and coalition implications for current and long-term RN transformation.

Ed. By situating the contemporary naval transformation in terms of strategic continuity, the author argues that the Hybrid Navy concept will require organisational transformation and leadership as much as technological innovation. A 30 minute read.

Ed. The author, a retired RN warfare officer, argues for sub-strategic Trident as a prudent escalation measure. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author, Naval Tutor at BRNC, makes the case for expanded Professional Defence and Security Education (PDSE) in the RN as an interservice imperative. A 10 minute read.

Ed. If a cyber-attack paralyses a dockyard or a disrupted supply chain prevents a critical repair, the resulting loss of fleet availability constitutes a military defeat achieved by civilian means. The era of the homeland as a sanctuary is over. This article, by the NR’s Chairman, challenges the unhurried pace of current government resilience planning, arguing that the Royal Navy must adopt a National Support Base mindset and apply the same rigorous, FOST-style testing to its civilian dependencies as to its warships. A 20 minute read.

Ed. The author, a former Bangladesh Army officer currently serving as Research Coordinator at the Osmani Centre for Peace and Security Studies (OCPASS), chronicles the Varyag’s Macau casino story and 15,200-nautical-mile odyssey that became the opening chapter of China’s modern carrier programme. A 15 minute read.

Ed. With Commodore Matthew Perry USN as a case study, the author, associate professor of war studies and naval history at the US Naval Academy, makes the case for maritime balance in the character of the professional naval officer. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, September 2026. A 15 minute read.

Ed. With the Royal Navy declaredly pushing towards a ‘Hybrid’ fleet utilising several classes of complex ‘ship-like’ uncrewed vessels, the author, Associate Professor of International Security and Strategy at the University of Exeter, identifies key limitations of such autonomous naval systems and proposes that a lean-crewed model may instead offer distinctive advantages. A 25 minute read.