In 2020 there was a collision between the British frigate Northumberland and a Russian submarine north of Scotland.
United Kingdom
The argument that AUKUS is a weak security deal between Australia and two unreliable allies
Sam Roggeveen has a razor sharp critique of the new AUKUS security framework in War on the Rocks. In fact, I have only become more skeptical of AUKUS since it was announced by Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson, and President Joe Biden. I argued at the time that these were the wrong submarines […]
The five “nots” of AUKUS
Interesting rundown of what AUKUS is and is not by Michael Shoebridge for ICDS Diplomaatia magazine: AUKUS, though, is five ‘Nots’. It is not just a pact about sharing nuclear submarine technology that leads to Australia acquiring and operating eight of these “peak predator” deterrent weapons. It is not a military alliance that contains commitments […]
Royal Navy’s Type 32 Frigate could be a revamped Type 31
Some details have emerged about Britains future Type 32 Frigate, which is supposed to be ready in the 2030s.
British F-35 crashes in Mediterranean
These planes are really too expensive to lose.
Chasing the wrong kind of misinformation: The HMS Defender case
Western journalists were so busy labeling Russian warning shots as misinformation, that they overlooked the real information deceit.
The argument that Russia’s security zones around Crimea are legal
Since HMS Defender’s recent freedom of navigation operation close to Crimea, there has been an interesting public debate about the legal aspects of innocent passage. My attention has been drawn to this article by professor Stefan Talmon where he makes the case that Russia’s suspension of this right in certain areas in the Black Sea […]
HMS Defender’s encounter with Russia’s coastguard off Crimea
Here are a few quick thoughts on yesterday’s incident where Russian ships and aircraft fired warning shots on the British destroyer HMS Defender off Crimea. This was a deliberate freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) by the Royal Navy. HMS Defender purposefully transited closer than 12 nautical miles from Crimea. This point is important to stress […]
Some thoughts on HMS Dragon’s FONOPS off Crimea
Last week, first deputy director of FSB and leader of Russia’s border control service Vladimir Kulishov made some noticeable comments to RIA Novosti about an incident in October 2020 involving the British destroyer HMS Dragon. The British warship crossed the territorial waters off Crimea in what must be characterized as a Freedom of Navigation Operation […]
Interview with Corporal Frisk about military reductions in UK
Corporal Frisk’s look at the UK’s new “Defence in a competitive age” plan for the armed forces.