News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The conclusion to the author’s four-part series on the RN’s Naval Brigades, examining here their conduct in the Second Boer War, 1899-1902. The author continues his comparative analysis with respect to the Army, which by the beginning of the 20^th century had closed the gap with the RN in terms of professionalism and capability. A 20 minute read.

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.

BRE. The latest book reviews are now available. One considers a reprint of a 1946 memoir of convoy and corvette operations in the Battle of the Atlantic. The other looks at the US approach the neutralisation of the Japanese bastion of Truk in the Pacific during the Second World War.

Ed. In July 1997 (NR 85/3, p. 202) Lt G D Franklin reviewed the experience of the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) in the war against Japan, observing that, although the valuable combat lessons paid dividends in Korea, by the time of the Falklands conflict they had seemingly been forgotten. Republished here for the 78^th anniversary of VJ Day. A 25 minute read.

Ed. When was the last time we spent enough on Defence and Security, the nation’s insurance policy? The problem, of course, is that democratic nations decide the answer to this question through elected politicians, not the military; many wise people are involved in reviewing and offering their best analysis of the likely future turn of events but this, as history regularly reminds us, is an inexact science. It all boils down to how effectively we communicate the power of the argument – articulating the threat and the likelihood versus the size of the purse and the amount of risk a government is prepared to accept in the level of military and security capability it wishes to invest in.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a new edited volume on the role of the sea in Russian strategy, providing a discussion of historical context, operational art, strategy, and capability.

Ed. With a laudable desire for linguistic clarity worthy of David Watkin Waters, Dr Mark Barton considers the language barrier impacting the cultivation of Joint and Service-wide consensus of concept meaning in operational planning. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author argues that the ‘art of Admiralty’ represents more than simply a debate over force structure or naval tactics, but instead embodies the cultural ethos of an island seapower state, and – crucially – the vehicle by which maritime thinking is cultivated and disseminated in government and to the broader population as a whole. A 15 minute read.

Ed. As a memorial and in tribute of his extensive contributions, the Digital and Editorial teams have compiled a complete archive of James Goldrick’s Naval Review letters, articles, reviews and eulogies.