News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author considers RN readiness from the perspective of Military Aid to Civilian Authorities (MACA). As crises accumulate, the temptation to employ the RN to respond where civilian institutions lack support can erode warfighting capacity. A 15 minute read.

Ed. The author provides a biographical history of his father, Lt R S Frost RNR, a consummate professional who served aboard liners in the interwar period and met his fate as a Mediterranean submariner during the Second World War. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Reproduced from the NR’s archives for Merchant Navy Day, the author in this article from 1931 [19/4, p. 641] engaged with an ongoing discourse then popular in the NR regarding the future of the Royal Naval Reserve, that Service having been vital to the conduct of the First World War at sea. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Archibald Buckle’s story recounts the courage, leadership, and devotion to duty that was typical of the Royal Naval Division in the First World War – and demonstrates the value that reservists provide as a flexibly deployable resource. The author draws on official history and primary sources to emphasise Archibald Buckle’s exceptional wartime career. A 20 minute read.

Ed. Expanding upon his previous writing on the theme of maritime homeland defence, the author argues for a more proactive approach by the RN to tackle an increasing array of ‘grey zone’ threats. A 20 minute read.

Ed. With renewed focus on mass and scaling in terms of force employment, the author considers potential options for the RNR’s expansion in wartime. A 15 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers Maritime Britain, produced by the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, and as the First Sea Lord writes in his foreword, is intended to “catalyse a renewed national conversation about Britain and the sea”.

Ed. With his apologies to Monty Python, the author details the essential contribution of the Maritime Reserves and questions the logic behind past and proposed service reductions. A 10 minute read.