News, Articles and Comment

Ed. Bold decisions will be necessary to match budgets to ambitions while addressing real security and defence concerns as the Strategic Defence Review progresses. In a ‘One Defence’ environment, what will be the RN’s role? A 20 minute read.

Ed. Did the Second World War begin on 18 September 1931, when the Japanese staged a false flag event known as the Mukden Incident, a fabricated pretext to justify their invasion of Manchuria? From 1931 to 1937, they engaged in skirmishes in mainland China, indeed, Japan achieved major victories capturing Beijing and Shanghai by 1937. Or did it begin with the advent of what is now known as the Second Sino-Japanese War after the first battle of the war – the Marco Polo Bridge incident on 7 July 1937? The Japanese and Chinese opened fire upon each other after a Japanese soldier went missing. This prompted a full-scale Japanese invasion of the rest of China. Or, as we in Europe prefer, with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939?

Ed. Firstly a bit of good news. A warm welcome to BMT Group, who have joined the Naval Review as our first Corporate Sponsor. Also, a particular thank you to our female membership and supporters who have been pulling out the stops, and as a consequence I am delighted to report that seven articles in this edition have been written, and contributed to, by women. Dr James Smith’s article on pg 264 deserves special mention, for those that follow the website Forum where we have enjoyed a serious debate over how the country failed to hold on to a maritime strategy in the 20th century. With the weight of articles we are currently receiving we are unable to reproduce this debate beyond the article in this edition, but please consider going online and joining in!

Ed. To everyone who contributed to the Naval Review over the last 12 months, from our regulars to our first time authors and correspondents, our band of dedicated book reviewers and contributors on the Forum, along with those who have taken the trouble to pass feedback, both good and bad, along to those who help me deliver the Naval Review, especially the Trustees, Secretary Treasurer in particular, and the Editorial team, may I offer a heartfelt thank you and wish all our readership a Happy and prosperous New Year.

Ed. General Rob Fry grapples with the difficulty of defining realistic military objectives when crafting strategy, given the propensity for the leadership of pluralistic democracies to lean on hyperbole and unlimited outcomes. Originally published in The Article. A 10 minute read.

Ed. The author continues his contentious analysis of the Russia-Ukraine War [110/4, p. 482], with particular attention to the perceived failure of British grand strategy vis-à-vis the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s energy superpower status. A 30 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a short book from Helion exploring the opening phase of the Iran-Iraq War at sea. Given current events in the Middle East, this book may also be valuable background reading.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book exploring the premodern history of great power conflicts along the maritime silk road, stretching from the Mediterranean to the shores of Japan, in order to help inform understanding of the current geopolitical environment in the Indo-Pacific.

Ed. The author argues that the recent events in Gaza have seriously delayed the peace process and any chance for long-term peace will necessarily require communication, amongst the younger generation in particular. Members of faith communities will have a part to play in de-escalating tensions while politicians will need to attend to a multifaceted and historic series of issues, not least of which is bridging the educational divide between Palestinian and Israeli youth. A 15 minute read.