News, Articles and Comment

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. With supporting examples from the Ukraine War, the author makes recommendations for expanding UK Commando Force space assets and integration. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author critiques senior leadership reform in the Royal Navy, demonstrating a chain of unresolved logic, cognitive dissonance, and moral hazards that can arise when cultural diagnosis stops short of self-accountability. A 15 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book which “presents a careful, methodologically restrained study of how Britain thought about, prepared for, and practised amphibious operations in the three decades before the First World War.”

Ed. The author considers the Navy’s global commitments, and questions if the RN can, in fact, develop the real fleet capacity necessary for deterrence in a potentially contested region. A 10 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a new biography of Commodore Michael Clapp, including both his role in the Falklands War and wider naval career.

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 Peter Hore’s forthcoming biography of Admiral Sir Jock Slater.

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.