News, Articles and Comment

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. The author questions the ability of the Allies to successfully deter future Russian sub-threshold or hybrid operations, with narrow deterrence having failed both in Syria and Salisbury. The deniability of attacks on vulnerable undersea cables and infrastructure has been clearly demonstrated over the past two years. A 20 minute read.

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.

Ed. The author, a Hudson Fellow at Oxford, answers the Chairman’s call from NR 111/4 to engage with the defence review process, contextualizing here over 70 years of history and lighting the way for the debate on Integrated Review 2025 looming ahead. A 15 minute read.

Ed. For the bicentenary of Trafalgar Day in 2005, distinguished scholars and Naval Review members produced a series of articles on Nelson’s legacy for the 21^st century [93/4, p. 320]. Professor Geoffrey Till provided the following comparison between the then emerging Effects Based Approach (EBA) and the illusive Nelson Touch. Reprinted here for the 218^th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. A 20 minute read.

Ed. The author highlights the need for digital mastery to protect against the ‘black jellyfish’ of postmodern threats. For the Art of Admiralty to succeed in the information age, it must be extended into the digital realm. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author takes to task the combination of factors, personnel and hull numbers in particular, that have strained the Submarine Service to meet the demands of ever increasing global commitments.

Ed. The author argues that Britain’s current grand strategy has the hallmarks of uncertainty, having not yet settled on a strictly continentalist, or purely maritime strategy, one way or the other. If the Armed Forces are to be deployed effectively, it is imperative that clarity replace the current strategic ambiguity. Originally published in The Article. A 5 minute read.

Ed. The author contemplates the implications of the ‘Art of Admiralty’, as explored in NR 111/3, for the mindset of the RN’s leadership as a cultural component of a maritime nation in today’s complex operating environment. A 5 minute read.