The Guardian – Grant Shapps announces 15-year contract for UK arm of defence and aerospace specialist Thales

Navy Lookout – In answer to a recent Parliamentary question, Defence Minister James Cartlidge said that: “on current plans, the last Type 45 Destroyer will retire from service by the end of 2038”. In this short piece, we consider the reasons to be highly sceptical about this schedule.

War Zone – The U.K. Ministry of Defense has confirmed that its F-35B stealth fighters will be armed with Meteor air-to-air missiles and SPEAR 3 precision-guided standoff munitions by the “end of the decade.” The new weapons promise to bring a major leap in capability for the F-35B, especially when combined with the enhancements that the Block 4 upgrade will provide, especially for the aircraft’s radar, which will make the Meteor even more formidable.

Navy Lookout – In 2020 we wrote a piece asking if the UK was getting a “a pale imitation of Carrier Strike?” Three years on, we look again at whether the carriers are truly ready to be deployed on meaningful operations.

UK Defence Journal – For the first time ever in the modern era, the Royal Navy has no active supply ships and currently depends entirely on allies for the replenishment of stores, including ammunition, at sea.

Navy Lookout – On the 9th of January 2024, HMS Diamond was involved in a significant action with US forces defending merchant vessels in the Red Sea from a mass air attack launched from Yemen. Here we analyse the information available about this event.

BBC – UK and US naval forces have repelled the largest attack yet by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

National Interest – Despite a ruling from the International Court of Justice instructing Venezuela to stay its hand while the court adjudicates the territorial dispute, President Nicolás Maduro announced that he would “immediately” grant licenses permitting exploration and extraction to go forward. Maduro also announced that the Venezuelan armed forces would institute a military command to operate in Essequibo. What happens next? Mark Twain would have some interesting thoughts. 

Navy Lookout – HMS Richmond is heading to the Gulf region in response to the serious maritime security situation in the Red Sea.

Navy Lookout – A series of reports in the media in the first week if this year have brought the Navy’s personnel, funding and support problems into sharp focus. Here we provide some more context to the reports and the potential implications.

Daily Mail – Two amphibious warships are set to be ‘mothballed’ in a move critics have said could spell ‘the beginning of the end’ for the Royal Marines, as the Navy tries to tackle a sailor shortage crisis.

War Zone – The two Type 23 frigates on the chopping block, HMS Argyll and Westminster, have recently been overhauled at major expense to the taxpayer.

Naval News – The Royal Navy is leading a multinational task force deployment conducting critical undersea infrastructure security operations across North Atlantic waters, including the English Channel, the North and Baltic seas (and their connecting Skagerrak/Kattegat straits), and the Norwegian and Barents seas.

Navy Lookout – In this article we look back at the past year, summarising key events and the achievements of the Royal Navy while considering future challenges.

Navy Lookout – In this article, Kamil Sadowski considers how Medium Rotary-Wing Uncrewed Air Systems could be employed in anti-submarine warfare operations.

BBC – The UK is preparing to send HMS Trent to Guyana in a show of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony

Navy Lookout – HMS Diamond has now been formally allocated to US-led operation Prosperity Guardian which will protect merchant ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Here we look at the recent naval operations and consider the current situation in the region.

The Guardian – HMS Diamond fired a Sea Viper missile and successfully destroyed target after Yemen rebel attacks.

Navy Lookout – The ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are a vital part of the UK naval capability but the past year has been a story of very mixed fortunes for the service. Here we look at the current status of the fleet.

Naval News – The UK is sending a Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer to support the multinational naval presence protecting merchant shipping in the southern Red Sea off the coast of Yemen.

War Zone – The footage provides new perspectives on Mojave’s takeoffs and landings aboard HMS Prince of Wales.

War Zone – The second frontline British F-35B unit is a Royal Navy squadron, but future plans to buy more of the jets, and which ones, hang in the air.

Navy Lookout – Here we focus on how delays in upgrading dockyard facilities have become one of the limiting factors preventing the RN from getting submarines to sea and look at the efforts to resolve the problem.

Navy Lookout – The MoD has said the RN will deploy a substantial force of vessels to patrol areas with vulnerable undersea critical infrastructure in cooperation with other nations. Here we look at the context of this action and what this may mean in practice

War on the Rocks – Should Labour assume power in 2024 (or 2025, when an election has to take place), it is therefore improbable that the new government will move to significantly deviate from the Indo-Pacific engagement course that the United Kingdom has presently embarked on. While ensuring the sanctity of the Euro-Atlantic area will be the defense priority (as it is now with the ruling Conservative administration), economic and political realities mean that the latter theater will necessarily continue to be of significant importance for securing the country’s future interests.