News, Articles and Comment

Ed. With 1SL’s 2024 Seapower Conference in mind, the author reflects on the chequered legacy of RN technical developments and procurement over the past 20 years, and considers priorities for the next decades. A 10 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers an important and timely edited volume examining the role of naval power in the Indo-Pacific.

Ed. This article, drawing on German-language sources, presents a fresh biographical sketch of Maximilian von Spee’s naval career, a man of his time who realistically embodied German sea power, in the Mahanian tradition, until his demise at the Falkland Islands on 8 December 1914. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Extreme weather events and climate change have increased the stakes for regional engagement in the South Pacific, with China and the US vying for strategic influence. The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will need renewed investment to continue tackling climate emergencies. A 35 minute read.

Ed. The author argues that the expense of Astute and delays in Dreadnought development threaten success of the AUKUS plan for a next generation SSN. Both the RAN and RN should consider buying future USN Virginia-class submarines to quickly fulfill the SSN-AUKUS mandate. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Persistent personnel and procurement challenges leads the author to question the viability of Continuous At Sea Deterrence and raise concern over the future of the SSN-AUKUS program.

Ed. In 2012 [100/2, p. 154] the author considered the history of the Japanese attack on Darwin of 19 February 1942 as a comparison for possible Chinese air operations in the 21^st century. As was the case with Pearl Harbor, a surprise attack by long-range air assets raised questions about the security of bases in the region. A 20 minute read.