News, Articles and Comment

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers the 2026 edition of the Seaforth World Naval Review.

Ed. If the recent conflict in the Middle East has confirmed anything, it is that sea power remains essential to our nation’s prosperity. Much has been written about Operation EPIC FURY, the rapidly evolving threats we face and our ability to counter them, and how advances in drones, uncrewed and autonomous systems have forever changed the way we fight. But some things remain constant, as evidenced by Iran shutting the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime chokepoint through which a fifth of the world’s oil transits.

Ed. As Operation EPIC FURY ebbs and flows, may I propose a new principle of war? Always follow the money.

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.

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. Two letters responding to recent RN developments and advocating for reform.

Ed. The expert author examines the emerging technological risks to aircraft carriers in the drone age. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, February edition. A 15 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book examining US operations to protect Kuwaiti oil tankers during the Tanker War in the late 1980s.

Ed. The RNSSC author provides an appreciation of the strategic situation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and endorses an organic ‘multiplex’ as against a hegemonic ‘multipolar’ order for the region. A 35 minute read.