The Naval Review

The Naval Review

The Naval Review is a British professional journal and forum for naval officers and maritime strategists. Founded in 1913, it provides analysis, commentary, and debate on naval operations, ship design, naval history, and maritime strategy. Contributors and readers have included figures associated with Royal Navy, Admiralty (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and allied maritime institutions.

History

The Review was established in 1913 amid naval debates triggered by the Dreadnought revolution, the Anglo-German naval arms race, and the naval rivalry reflected in the First Lord of the Admiralty correspondence. Early contributors included officers who served in the Battle of Jutland and planners involved with the Washington Naval Conference and the Naval Treaty System. During the First World War and Second World War the Review published analyses by officers later associated with operations like the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Overlord, and the Norwegian Campaign. Interwar discussions referenced designers from Admiralty (United Kingdom), commentators linked to the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, and critics of policies influenced by the Washington Naval Treaty and the London Naval Treaty. Post-1945, the Review engaged with Cold War themes such as NATO maritime strategy, Mountbatten-era reforms, and debates around Royal Navy carrier aviation exemplified by discussions tied to HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries contributors wrote on Falklands War, Gulf War, Kosovo War, and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), engaging with procurement controversies like those surrounding Type 45 destroyer, Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, and Astute-class submarine programmes.

Purpose and Activities

The Review aims to foster debate among practitioners, historians, and analysts linked to Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines, and international navies including the United States Navy, French Navy, Italian Navy, Spanish Navy, German Navy, Brazilian Navy, Indian Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, People's Liberation Army Navy, and Russian Navy. It organizes lectures, seminars, and panels that have featured speakers associated with institutions such as King's College London, Institute for Strategic Studies, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial War Museums, and National Maritime Museum. The Review’s events have intersected with anniversaries of the Battle of Trafalgar, commemorations for Horatio Nelson, and analyses of campaigns like Dieppe Raid and Operation Torch.

Organization and Membership

The Review is run by a council populated by serving and retired officers, scholars, and professionals with links to Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Britannia Royal Naval College, Joint Services Command and Staff College, Naval War College (United States), and foreign naval staff colleges such as École Navale and Naval War College (Japan). Membership categories reflect active-duty officers, reservists from Royal Naval Reserve, civilian academics from University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and practitioners from shipyards like Babcock International and BAE Systems. Honorary members have included figures associated with First Sea Lord officeholders and ministers connected to Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom). The Review collaborates with societies such as the Navy Records Society and trusts like the National Maritime Museum trusts.

Publications and Influence

The Review produces a quarterly journal that has published articles on topics ranging from naval doctrine, shipbuilding, and anti-submarine warfare to legal issues connected to United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea debates and adjudications in bodies influenced by International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Its pages have contained work by historians linked to Journal of Military History, analysts from Chatham House, and contributors with experience in operations like Operation Telic and Operation Herrick. The Review has influenced white papers and defence analyses cited in policy discussions involving the Defence White Paper (UK) and procurement reviews like the UK Strategic Defence and Security Review. Its essays have been referenced in monographs about convoy system, submarine warfare, and carrier operations, and in doctoral research from institutions such as King's College London and University College London.

Notable Events and Controversies

The Review has hosted debates that became focal points in controversies over carrier strategy after the Falklands War, procurement debates during the Strategic Defence Review (1998), and doctrinal disputes in the wake of Libya intervention (2011). Controversial articles have prompted responses from figures associated with the First Sea Lord office, Secretary of State for Defence (United Kingdom), and parliamentary committees such as the Defence Select Committee. High-profile panels have included speakers connected to Admiral Sir Michael Le Fanu, Admiral Sir John Fisher-era reinterpretations, and critics referencing analyses by scholars connected to Sir Julian Corbett and Alfred Thayer Mahan. Debates over nuclear deterrence featured content tied to Trident (UK nuclear programme) discussions and exchanges with think tanks like Royal United Services Institute and International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Category:British naval journals