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Canadian Naval Review

Current Issue

Volume 21, Number 3, 2026

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Happy New Year! Now that January is here, we all need something to look forward to – other than bills for all those things you bought for Christmas! Fret no longer, you can look forward to the upcoming CNR issue.

As usual, the new issue of CNR contains a variety of interesting articles. Our first article was the winning essay of the 2025 CNMT Essay Competition. It’s called “Pirates and Partnerships: An Examination of Maritime Non-State Actors,” by Edward Khitab. Khitab uses the example of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to examine the nature and increasing number of maritime non-state actors -- and concludes that the RCN needs to start paying attention to them. The second article, “The Strategic Utility of Aircraft Carriers in China’s Ambitions in East Asia,” discusses the rapid growth of China’s aircraft carrier capability and how and where Beijing would likely use them in the case of war. The third article is “Why Does Canada have a Navy? Reflecting on the Canadian Leaders at Sea Program.” In this article, the author addresses a simple question that was asked while he was participating in the CLaS program, and considers what a navy represents and why Canada has one. The final essay, “SS Nerissa: A Tragic Footnote to History,” tells the little-known story of the last voyage of SS Nerissa that was sunk by a U-boat while transporting troops and civilians across the Atlantic in the Second World War.

If that isn’t enough to spark your interest, we have our usual Making Waves commentaries. We have a commentary about hydrography in the Arctic. Sound boring? It’s not. If Canada is getting submarines that are expected to operate in the Arctic, Ottawa needs to act now to map the seafloor there. We have a commentary about the many historic discussions about moving the Coast Guard into the defence department. We have a commentary about the unthinkable – i.e., having naval ships that can act as ‘tripwires’ in the event that the United States decides to blockade Canada. We have an account of a conference in Australia, Canadian interest in East Asia, and preparing for Russia in the Arctic.

And, of course, we have our regular columns. “A View from the West” looks at North Korea’s increasing focus on its navy. “Dollars and Sense” examines the defence-related parts of Budget 2025, and “Warship Developments” updates us on several interesting recent naval decisions.  

In addition to all this great information, we have our usual amazing photos!

Stay tuned. In a few weeks, the issue will be in the mailbox of people who are lucky enough to be subscribers! It’s not too late for you to subscribe. See below for the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents

  • Editorial: Possibilities and Pitfalls - by Ann Griffiths
  • Winner of the 2025 CNMT Essay Competition: Pirates and Partnerships: An Examination of Maritime Non-State Actors - by Edward Khitab
  • The Strategic Utility of Aircraft Carriers in China’s Ambitions in East Asia - by Adam P. MacDonald
  • Why Does Canada have a Navy? Reflecting on the Canadian Leaders at Sea Program - by John Walsh
  • SS Nerissa: A Tragic Footnote to History - by Robert L. Willett
  • Making Waves
    • Canadian Arctic Hydrography: Proceed with Alacrity - by Tom Tulloch
    • The DND-CCG Merger: Back to the Future? - by Dan Middlemiss
    • A ‘Tripwire’ Corvette for the RCN - by Major (Ret’d) Les Mader
    • The Canadian Armed Forces and East Asia - by Mark Soo
    • Notes on RAN Seapower 2025 - by Brett Witthoeft
    • Canada Must Prepare for the Arctic to be the Next Ukraine - by Jay Heisler
  • A View from the West: Uncharted Waters: North Korea’s New Emphasis on Naval Development - by Lily Baker-McCue
  • Dollars and Sense: Budget 2025 Provides Transformational Funding but Unclear Direction - by Dave Perry
  • Warship Developments: Snippets - by Doug Thomas

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