News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author considers the past century of technological innovation in the USN, its impact on the Service’s officer corps and naval leadership, and proposes several possible outcomes with regard to AI integration. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, December 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.

Ed. The author considers the lessons of the late-19^th century Jeune École, a historical cautionary tale reflective of the introduction of naval drone warfare. A 10 minute read.

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.

Ed. The expert author, at the invitation of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre (RNSSC), provides a sweeping overview of the condition of British shipbuilding and makes direct recommendations for improvement. A 25 minute read.

Ed. The author investigates the career of Admiral Sir Frederick Richards, who played a critical but little understood role in the late Victorian Navy. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Churchill’s final volume of his war memoirs is titled Triumph and Tragedy: the theme of the volume is “how the great democracies triumphed and so were able to resume the follies which had so nearly cost them their life.” What did Churchill mean by tragedy? Was he referring to the incredible loss of life caused by the firestorms of Dresden and Tokyo or by the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Or was he lamenting the tragedy that, for most of Eastern Europe, he foresaw that one jackboot was to be replaced by another. As it wasn’t just the democracies that triumphed, the most successful victor of the Second World War was indeed Stalin claiming territories and spoils both in Europe and in Asia. Once again, we risk another tragedy as it looks increasingly likely the jackboots are on the rise.

Ed. The author revisits the issue of seablindness [112/2, p. 264], comparing the history of defence unification in the UK and US and taking stock of the situation today. A 30 minute read.

Ed. Our correspondent, no stranger to the question of submarine procurement, suggests a third alternative for the future RN submarine force.