News, Articles and Comment

Ed. Our correspondent provides an appreciation of Royal Navy leadership maintaining strategic direction during the COIN era.

Ed. The author proposes adapting the Royal Australian Navy’s ‘Ship Zero’ concept for the Royal New Zealand Navy, by providing a pathway for crew training and integration before platforms are fully delivered. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The expert author, at the invitation of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre (RNSSC), provides a sweeping overview of the condition of British shipbuilding and makes direct recommendations for improvement. A 25 minute read.

Ed. Our correspondent, no stranger to the question of submarine procurement, suggests a third alternative for the future RN submarine force.

Ed. The author contends that anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, launched from smaller, more cost-efficient and conventionaly-powered submarines, designed and built with Pacific allies in mind, would be an important step towards reaching revitalised maritime goals for the USN. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, October edition. A 15 minute read.

Ed. Our correspondent with the UK Carrier Strike Group relays the increasing tempo of joint and multinational operations as HIGHMAST continues. A 5 minute read.

Ed. An important retrospective on the RN’s role in the Pacific, revealing patterns in the history of the last 150 years. Delivered originally as a Royal Navy Club speech onboard HMS Belfast, 6 June 2025. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Utilising econometric analysis, the author contends that the Covid pandemic may have represented the dénouement of a long period of post-war western decline. A 20 minute read.

BRE. The latest book reviews are now available. B0th focus on Southeast Asia in the Second World War, one considering the British Pacific Fleet’s campaign against oil facilities in occupied Sumatra; the other provides an account of the Australian campaign to liberate Borneo in 1945.