Richard Thomas
Shephard News
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Richard:
PREMIUM: Did MV Saviz attack involve Saudi Arabian intelligence?
An apparent attack on an Iranian military logistics vessel was the latest in series of maritime incidents in waters off the Arabian Peninsula. → Read More
PREMIUM: UK government figures urge shipbuilding sector to boost productivity
Plans will see 30-year pipeline for all military and government vessels put in place to provide certainty for industry. → Read More
PREMIUM: UK to expand nuclear weapons stockpile as long-awaited Integrated Review made public
However, numbers of operational warheads will no longer be made public in order to ‘complicate’ calculations of potential aggressors. → Read More
PREMIUM: In focus – composition, aims and future of UK carrier strike
Deployment of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the Indo-Pacific in a few months is intended to be its defining military operation of the year, during which its armed forces are likely to face cuts amid a significant downturn in spending. → Read More
PREMIUM: SOS Group focuses on portability in recompression chamber sector
As navies look to expand subsurface capabilities through the acquisition of submarines, attention is also being focused on rescue and recovery contingencies in the event of a DISSUB (disabled submarine) incident. → Read More
PREMIUM: Analysis – the EU and maritime power projection
With another renewal of the mandate of the long-running EU maritime security mission in the waters off the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula, the EUNAVFOR deployment looks to have entered a new era. → Read More
PREMIUM: Order of long-lead items for Type 26 Batch 2 underway
A key element in the RN future surface fleet, the Type 26 programme has reduced in scope from a planned 13 hulls to just eight. → Read More
PREMIUM: Bulgaria could move to double its minehunter fleet
Through the acquisition of new platforms, upgrading existing forces and delving into the second-hand naval market, the Bulgarian Navy is attempting to improve its fleet within a budget that could yet suffer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. → Read More
PREMIUM: First Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer 44% complete as USN eyes future DDG(X) requirements
As the USN begins to firm up its specifications for the DDG(X) platform, the final variant of the venerable Arleigh Burke guided missile destroyers marks the beginning of the end for one of the service’s most successful platforms. → Read More
PREMIUM: USMC presses on with plan for Light Amphibious Warship
The USMC is looking to develop a new platform to bridge the gap between its large assault ships and smaller landing craft, as it continues its pivot to the Pacific. → Read More
PREMIUM: USN receives HELIOS laser system for tests ahead of integration onto Arleigh Burke-class destroyer
The USN has received the HELIOS laser system and will test the capability at Surface Combat Systems Center Wallops Island over the next several months → Read More
PREMIUM: In focus - the IRGC(N) and its strategic effect
Formed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has developed a unique approach the maritime force projection, and represents the force of choice for Tehran when it wants to bring about a strategic effect in the Gulf region and beyond → Read More
PREMIUM: UK carrier strike capability reaches IOC milestone
UK hits the ground running in 2021 with the declaration that HMS Queen Elizabeth and its carrier strike group have reached initial operating capabilit → Read More
Joint Israeli Navy-NATO exercise to develop maritime medical procedures
The latest casevac capacity-building demonstration is the most complex to date, following previous exercises in 2018 and 2019. → Read More
PREMIUM: As rhetoric continues, are NATO-EU defence differences too great to be resolved?
With the EU looking to move ever-closer towards the creation of its own de facto military alliance, the role of NATO in European security has been consistently questioned amid internal disputes and a shift in balance of power in light of Brexit. → Read More
PREMIUM: Might the mysterious Type 32 ‘frigate’ really be the UK’s MCM replacement?
A £16.5 billion multi-year boost to UK defence spending, announced on 19 November, has interesting implications for the Royal Navy and the shipbuilding sector. → Read More
PREMIUM: Continued delays to USN maintenance schedules will take ‘years’ to fix
A review by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) into a July report by the USN of its maintenance practices has identified additional factors in ship acquisition and operations as key contributors to the prolonged delays to planned sustainment schedules. According to the GAO report, published on 29 October ... → Read More
PREMIUM: Delivery of first Sa'ar 6 corvette to Israel moves one step closer
As the Israeli flag begins its first day flying from the foremast of INS Magen, the lead ship of four Sa’ar 6 class corvettes being built for the Israeli Navy, new details have emerged about the programme’s timeline. → Read More
PREMIUM: Spring restart confirmed for UK Fleet Solid Support ship programme
The long-awaited restart of the UK’s Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ship programme has been confirmed by the MoD, which will eventually deliver up to three logistics and sustainment to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). → Read More
PREMIUM: Little margin for error in Type 31 programme nearly a year after contract award
Almost a year into the contract for the design, development and manufacture of five Type 31 frigates for the RN, Babcock is confident that the programme remains on schedule despite difficulties faced by industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. → Read More