News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author examines the state-of-the-art with regard to Polar icebreaker investment and development, and considers the relative cost for future RN procurement in increasingly competitive theatres. A 30 minute read.

Ed. The author applies game theory to argue that the April 2026 operation against a Russian decoy-and-GUGI formation represents a game-theoretic inflection point, and sets out the dominant strategy the Royal Navy requires to make deterrence by denial of effect systematic rather than episodic. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author assesses the growing threats to the UK’s subsea infrastructure as a component of hybrid warfare, and makes direct recommendations for reducing grey-zone ambiguity and improving the RN’s capacity to respond. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author points to the inevitable consequences of rising sea surface temperatures for fleet maintenance and operations, and concludes that preparing the operational USN for hotter oceans is a warfighting necessity. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, January edition. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author, former Conservative MP and Shadow Defence Minister, outlines Russian and Chinese activities in the Arctic as part of his forthcoming book on the subject, The Arctic: Land of the Great Bear. A 15 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a reprint of a biography of Admiral Beaufort, originally published in 2002.

Ed. This article follows Arthur Nicholson’s ‘Some thoughts on that Battle off Malaya’ [113/2, p. 287], focusing on the contemporary controversies surrounding the salvage of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse: The last resting places for 842 sailors are still not at peace. With an Afterword by Professor Steven Haines. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Originally published in 1949-1950, this three-part series on Admiral Charles Napier and his controversial command in the Baltic in 1854 during the Crimean War is here compiled as a complete text. Reproduced from the NR’s archives [37/4, p. 381; 38/1, p. 65; 38/2, p. 125]. A 60 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book exploring the role of hydrographers supporting the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Wars. The author is also a member of The Naval Review.