News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The second article in the NR’s series featuring BRNC Pellew Division officer cadets. The author here examines the assets Finland and Sweden bring to NATO in the Arctic and Baltic, together representing a significant increase in the Alliance’s regional capability. A 15 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a reprint of Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton’s 1968 study of Sir Winston Churchill and the Royal Navy.

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.

UK Parliament Defence Select Committee Report on Readiness – Report Summary Readiness is the ability to deploy personnel and equipment […]

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book exploring the maritime aspects of the American Revolutionary War.

Ed. The author examines the importance of cultivating clear strategy and deploying balanced fleets in the Baltic operations of the Crimean War and Russian Civil War. In both cases the Royal Navy was engaged blockading enemy ports and striking at their harbours, frequently without direct orders from London, and with profound consequences for the national consciousness of the region. The parallels for today’s littoral operations in the Baltic and Black Sea are obvious. A 40 minute read.

Ed. In the first of a series of articles by BRNC Pellew Division officer cadets, the author examines the continuing challenges of women acting in combat roles. A look at the history demonstrates that the press of mobilization often requires abandoning long-held social conventions. The government and media have a responsibility to do more to reach the goals for female enlistment. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Carrier Power offering Defence options…

Ed. Courtesy of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre: The conflict in Yemen has renewed the need for maritime security in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, and has demonstrated both the reach of China as an emerging Middle Eastern player, but also the limits of the PRC’s diplomacy. An increasingly destabilizing Iran raises questions about where other regional and international actors will ultimately align. A 5 minute read.