News, Articles and Comment

Ed. When the 1980s Iran-Iraq War bled into the maritime sphere, the US Navy raced to halt depredations to oil shipments; the mine-warfare factor weighed heavily in the operation and offers lessons for today. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, June 2025. A 15 minute read.

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. Originally published in November 2012 [100/4, p. 363], members may find this article from the NR’s archive instructive as to how geostrategic developments in the Persian Gulf have changed (or not) over the past decade and a half. A 25 minute read.

Ed. With a study of American maritime strategy ranging from Mahan to Huntington, the practitioner author believes that the era of the Panoceanic Navy, focused on competitive sea control and sustained sea denial, has begun. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, March edition. A 50 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 author provides an overview of the Russo-Japanese War as a watershed for the naval history of the 20^th century. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Written in 1991, the author explored the stark implications of peak oil in the aftermath of the First Gulf War. A 30 minute read.

Ed. The author reviews the defence and foreign policy background of Operation FORTIS, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s 2021 Indo-Pacific deployment, considering the operation a watershed in post-Cold War British foreign policy. A 10 minute read.

Ed. A warm welcome to 2026! What a year, already, which may bring a new world order. The Chairman has outlined the current global challenges, but the current pace of events is such that with a turnaround time of three weeks for the hardcopy there may well be more. As we stand away from the map as far as it is possible, one can see and feel the paradigm shift of global reality underway, probably the biggest and most significant movement in over 100 years.