News, Articles and Comment

Ed. Nuclear submarines, along with the aircraft carrier, have become the ultimate symbols of sea power, but their adoption and use remain not only technically complex and expensive, but also diplomatically and politically controversial. The author surveys this background in the case of the Royal Navy. Winner of the Eric Grove prize. A 5 minute read.

Ed. With a clear-eyed appraisal of historical trends since the 19^th century, the author argues that, contrary to alarmist concerns of retrenchment, Britain today has more room to maneuver as a strategic counter-weight than has been the case for the last 80 years. Awarded the RUSI Trench Gascoigne prize and originally published in the RUSI Journal. A 25 minute read.

Ed. The author examines the state of the art with regard to generative AI, contending that human-like complex reasoning functions are necessary to improve AI’s usefulness for the RN, potentially introducing an advisory function for AI in the near future, alongside automating many other tasks and functions. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author describes the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) developments in the Royal Norwegian Navy and NATO that will revolutionize mine countermeasure operations in the coming years. A 25 minute read.

Ed. The author surveys recent drone warfare developments in Ukraine, pointing to the tactically revolutionary, but strategically not yet decisive, technological horizon. Russia and Ukraine will continue to seek marginal advantages in the attrition battle as both sides re-arm and await the spring. Originally published in The Article. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author gives his state of play on the current socioeconomic conditions impacting British seapower, and proposes a possible RN force structure financially tailored for a ‘regional’ rather than a ‘global’ Britain.

Ed. A perennial problem is how does Defence encourage originality and innovation? Thinking outside of the box must be an essential prerequisite to success in the 21st century – to accommodate and exploit the explosion in computing capability and the advent of AI. The author explains how the UK predicts and prepares for future conflict, the flaws in this method, and proposes how studying Science Fiction literature could offer military leaders a beneficial fighting edge in a future conflict. A 15 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. The second article in the NR’s series featuring BRNC Pellew Division officer cadets. The author here examines the assets Finland and Sweden bring to NATO in the Arctic and Baltic, together representing a significant increase in the Alliance’s regional capability. A 15 minute read.