News, Articles and Comment

Ed. This article explores some of the undiscussed issues and challenges facing the introduction of large-scale autonomous vessels under the ‘hybrid navy’ plan. The aim of this article is not to nay say and stick one’s head in the sand, but rather to identify the very real challenges facing implementation, their limits, and the importance of maintaining capable crewed warships to restore the RN fleet as a capable naval force. A 20 minute read.

Ed. The Naval Staff Research author contends that the current warfare transformation demonstrates a systemic technological model favouring the defensive or, in naval terms, sea denial. How should the RN, which must act offensively to achieve policy objectives, adapt? A 10 minute read.

Ed. The expert authors investigate the history of 21^st century space warfare, a legally undefined arena for grey zone conflict. A 25 minute read.

Ed. The author, looking beyond the United States Navy, provides a survey of NATO’s current ambitious shipbuilding projects. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, May 2026. A 15 minute read.

Ed. If the recent conflict in the Middle East has confirmed anything, it is that sea power remains essential to our nation’s prosperity. Much has been written about Operation EPIC FURY, the rapidly evolving threats we face and our ability to counter them, and how advances in drones, uncrewed and autonomous systems have forever changed the way we fight. But some things remain constant, as evidenced by Iran shutting the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers the latest edition of Geoffrey Till’s Seapower: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century.

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. The author presents a cautionary note as the Royal Navy becomes increasingly reliant on technological developments: the RN’s technological modernisation must be balanced with the enduring principles of resilience, redundancy, and adaptability, which will shape the future course of British maritime power. A 20 minute read.

Ed. The expert author examines the emerging technological risks to aircraft carriers in the drone age. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, February edition. A 15 minute read.