News, Articles and Comment

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book examining the largest sea battle in history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944.

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 review is now available. It considers a book examining the development of the Gaudalcanal-Solomons campaign through March-October 1943 in the southwest Pacific.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book on the Allied campaign in the Second World War to neutralise the Japanese strong point on Rabaul, following on from success at Gaudalcanal.

Ed. The author examines the difficulty of planning Operation CHROMITE, General MacArthur’s daring amphibious assault on Inchon during the Korean War. MacArthur’s ability to situate the landing in the strategic context of the Cold War, and his mastery of operational warfare, ensured that the local tactical difficulties were overcome. Winner of the Professor Eric Grove Memorial Prize at BRNC Dartmouth. A 15 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.

BRE. The latest book reviews are now available. One looks at the latest book by Brian Lavery on Royal yachts, the other looks at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in March 1943.

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.