Category: Magazine

Disaster on Christmas Eve

A good 200 years ago, two ships sank in a storm off Denmark. Today, a remarkable museum in Thorsminde commemorates the many dead - and the dangers of the Danish west coast. In mid-December 1811, Vice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, commander-in-chief of the British fleet in the Baltic Sea, made a fatal decision that he later came to regret. Persuaded by his deputy Rear-Admiral Robert Carthew Reynolds, his flag captain David Oliver Guion and the captain of the ship of the line HMS Defence, he sent the damaged ship of the line HMS St. George with a crew of 765 men and civilian men and women accompanied by HMS Defence with 550 men and women, contrary to his convictions....

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The largest naval exercise in the world

At the end of June, the biennial multinational manoeuvre Rimpac took place on and in the waters around Hawaii. German Navy ships took part for the first time. A total of 29 nations with around 25,000 people took part in the Rimpac 2024 exercise, which was led by the US Navy. Vice Admiral John Wade, the commanding officer of the US 3rd Fleet, was in overall command as Combined Task Force Commander. In addition to the American armed forces, the navies of various Pacific littoral states took part, from Australia, Ecuador and Indonesia to Japan and Peru. A number of "non-local" nations also took part: Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy,...

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How a childish idea catches on

In a bureaucracy, few things are as persistent as bureaucracy. Now the flood of bureaucracy is to be reduced with the help of bureaucratic de-bureaucratisation processes. The idea came from an office administrator at the Ministry of Defence working from home. She was fed up with emails and her nagging three-year-old, who asked how much money mum got for each email. Bingo! What if you made administrative work subject to a fee? Administration, staff work, rules of procedure? It should ensure standardised, regulated action in the management of authorities. This can be as complicated as you like, and terribly compartmentalised - broken down into processes. They are also called processes, who wants to proceed? In terms of content, decisions on matters of principle, draft legislation and the management of...

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Fleet expansion Down Under

Australia is planning to double the strength of its navy. This will create the largest fleet since the Second World War. The Australian Navy published the details of its new fleet construction plan in February. According to the plan, the navy is to be significantly expanded and modernised. The aim is to maintain the country's ability to deal with regional and global threats to its interests and general security. This includes not least the ability to operate fully within a multinational framework - especially in co-operation with the USA, Japan and European partners - and to contribute to collective protection. At the heart of Australia's defence planning is the increasingly aggressive posture...

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Cyber security in modern harbours

Digital transformation has found its way into ports and shipping, simplifying many processes. With global trade heavily dependent on the integrity of this industry, it is time to give cyber defence its due. The maritime industry, and port operations in particular, are facing a considerable backlog in the area of cyber security. Due to the increasing digitalisation of port activities, the vulnerability of the industry has been exposed by the lack of robust cyber defences, coupled with inadequate incident response planning and a shortage of skilled personnel in the IT and operational technology departments of port authorities. These shortcomings and the critical nature of port operations for...

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