Wavell Room Audio Reads

• Making NATO More Agile and Lethal: A Digital Insurgency is Underway

  "Nothing After Two O'clock" or "No Action, Talk Only" are well-worn jabs at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that once resonated with a certain truth. They conjured images of bureaucratic inertia and a disconnect between lofty pronouncements and concrete action. This has changed. NATO's Allied Command Operations is shifting its culture to rapidly adopt new technologies and capabilities at record breaking speed. A prime example is the recent acquisition of Palantir's Maven Smart System in under six months - a process that previously took up to two decades. A surging movement of digital insurgents within NATO is redefining what is achievable. The time for talk has ended; it is now an era of relentless execution and swift delivery of crucial capabilities to the warfighter. A landscape rewritten While the Alliance's core mission of collective defence enshrined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty remains sacrosanct, the strategic environment has undergone a seismic shift, demanding a fundamental reassessment of NATO's capabilities and operational posture. This is not your father's NATO. The comfortable certainties of the Cold War era, with its clearly defined adversary and predictable battlefields, have given way to a complex and fluid landscape characterised by resurgent great power competition, the weaponisation of information, the blurring lines between peace and war, and the rapid advance of technology transforming how wars are fought and won. As underscored by the 2022 Strategic Concept and the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area strategy, NATO faces a multitude of evolving threats, from state-sponsored aggression and terrorism to cyberattacks, hybrid warfare, and the disruptive potential of emerging technologies. These all converge to challenge the international rules-based order that underpins the security of NATO's nearly one billion citizens. This necessitates a renewed focus on deterrence and defence across all domains, including the increasingly critical digital sphere. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and other advanced technologies is not merely a technological evolution; it represents a revolution in military affairs, fundamentally altering the character of contemporary warfare. The analytic horsepower backing these technologies creates an unmatched acceleration within a decision cycle. This reality has spurred a top-down and bottom-up movement for change within Allied Command Operations, the Alliance's military instrument of power. Led by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Allied Command Operations is driving a transformation aligned with NATO's evolving strategy and plans, ushering in a renaissance in Allied operations. From within the ranks At the forefront of this effort is a nascent but increasingly influential bottom-up group of "digital insurgents," a cross-generational, multinational cohort of tech-savvy individuals. These insurgents are working to drive NATO's transition towards rapid and effective technology adoption, focused on warfighting and warfighters. This is not a nostalgic yearning for a romanticized past or empty slogans; it's about recognising the imperative for NATO to be more agile and lethal, leveraging the most powerful technologies available to maintain its strategic edge. The world's most powerful Alliance in history needs the most powerful tools to plan, operate, and fight. We, the authors, are active participants in this digital insurgency - we are Task Force Maven. On March 25, 2025, the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (Palantir) finalised the acquisition of the Maven Smart System for employment within the Alliance. Our task now is implementation and fostering an environment of speed, agility, and adaptability. Yet, this is not a story about a specific technology but one about NATO's people, culture, and the fight to keep pace with an accelerating future. Task Force Maven was for...

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• S-400 Debut in South Asia: Limits of Tech Supremacy

  Amongst contemporary systems, the Russian S-400 has been perceived as one of the most advanced air defence system. With a layered defence of 4km, 120 km, 250km and 400km respectively, the system is claimed to cover a wide range of aerial threats ranging from aircraft, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), ballistic and cruise missiles. In South Asia, the S-400 was perceived as a one-stop solution for protecting India's airspace against aerial threats. In fact, the system was tagged as Sudarshan Chakra in India, signalling divine power. However, the recent India-Pakistan conflict has helped debunk such heightened claims. Till now, three batteries have been deployed by India near the border region, with the remaining two expected to be delivered in late-2025 and 2026. The technology is aimed at augmenting India's layered defence system comprising Prithvi Air Defence System (PAD), Advanced Air Defence System (AAD), Barak-8 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile System, Aakash Area Defence Missile System, and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System II (NASAMS-II) India's S-400 system made its debut in South Asia in the recent Indo-Pak standoff, where the robustness of aerial assets was extensively tested via the use of aircraft, missiles, loitering munitions and advanced drones. One key takeaway from the brief conflict appears to be the vulnerability of the system. This is despite official claims from the Indian Air Force of its robustness.. While such high-profile systems may serve symbolic or deterrent functions, their limited coverage often creates exploitable gaps, enabling the intrusion of aerial assets It has been claimed that a Chinese-made CM-400AKG air-to-surface missile, launched by Pakistan Air Force JF-17s was used successfully against the S-400 batteries in Adampur and Poonch, inflicting damage to the radar components. In order to refute the claim, Prime Minister Modi's media team used an image of an S-400 launcher in the background of his address at Adampur base. However, the image of the intact launchers does not negate Pakistan's stance. Merely attacking the launchers is not the only way to render an ADS ineffective given that the same can be achieved via attacking its radars, sensors and network nodes. The fact remains that during combat, the S-400 failed to intercept or protect against the downing of six Indian aircraft by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). Notably, Pakistani JF-17s, operating well within the S-400's stated engagement envelope, evaded detection and successfully penetrated the defensive shield to strike at the system's radar. This reflects PAF's effective use of deception, strong electronic jamming, and BVR strike capabilities. The fog of war further complicates air defence operations. On May 7th, India deployed nearly 70 aircraft against 42 advanced Pakistani jets creating overlapping tracks that strained its air defence system (ADS). Low- and high-altitude threats can also challenge the system's readiness, with success rates varying across different target types, including ballistic and cruise missiles. Integration is further hampered by India's multi-origin arsenal from the United States, Israel, Russia, and France, which limits interoperability and network cohesion. Pakistan's use of largely Chinese-sourced air defence systems removes this level of complexity. Compounding this is the lack of seamless coordination between the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, undermining unified ADS performance. Hypersonic technology adds a new layer of complexity for any ADS. While the S-400 is technically mobile, its relocation is logistically complex and resource-intensive. Each battery comprises heavy transporter-erector-launchers (TELs), multiple radar units, command and control vehicles, and trained personnel making rapid redeployment during conflict both time-consuming and operationally demanding. Relocation also creates a vulnerability window that can be exploited through preemptive strikes.In future aerial...

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• Is Autonomy the End of the Naval Warfare Officer

  The end of the Warfare Officer? You're not unskilled, they're the wrong skills. In a rain-beaten marina on a rugged coastline, near a nameless village more familiar with fishing than fleet operations, a teenage Able Seaman sits inside a converted shipping container. Watching a laptop screen, they remotely pilot a small crewless boat through choppy waters via a suite of cameras and RADAR feeds. For all intents and purposes, they are the Captain. Down the road, on a slipway framed with lobster pots and fishing gear, a Petty Officer and Leading Hand haul 15-metres of uncrewed craft onto a trailer. With a police escort arranged and explosives securely stowed in a separate vehicle, they tow it down narrow B-roads to its next launch site. Followed by a small convoy of HGVs containing ancillary equipment and spares. Armed with little more than an expense account the skill to reverse an oversized trailer, they fulfil the traditional roles of Navigator and Officer of the Watch where moving naval fighting capabilities is concerned. These scenes stand in stark contrast to the age-old image of a Commanding Officer directing a Frigates movement across open sea from his chair on the bridge. Modern navies are undergoing a seismic shift in relevance, away from the skill set of their senior officers who cut their teeth on 5,000-tonne, 130-metre warships and bigger, and toward young operators and technicians independently deploying tiny uncrewed systems from the backs of lorries to greater maritime effect. The hierarchy of most navies has long been built around crewing entire flotillas of ships, with only a limited number of shore-based roles supporting operations from the rear. But the rise of autonomous platforms is disrupting that structure, challenging the relevance of the traditional command pipeline. In tomorrow's navy, do expert leaders qualified in seamanship and commanding operations from capital ships offer more value than an Able Seaman who can command multiple vessels from a single screen? What does it mean to grow officers through the classic path of shipboard appointments when the conventional warship is fast becoming the exception, not the rule? If most naval capability in the future is delivered from shore, operated remotely, or automated entirely, then is the role of the seagoing 'sailor' now something rare and specialised, less a core function and more a niche within a much broader system biasing towards land operations with maritime effectors deployed at reach? Today, battles at sea are already being won by lone teenagers remotely piloting a USV with helm controls mapped to a modified Xbox controller and laptop from miles away, supported by a mechanic with a Cat C+E licence hauling the latest capability on a trailer, as by a seasoned commander on the bridge of a warship with charge of a crew several hundred strong. Modern Navies are discovering that expertise in the latest iteration of nautical skills no longer guarantees expert opinion in utilising modern technology. This article argues that autonomy and uncrewed systems are reshaping naval power, placing greater importance on digital literacy and low level mechanical skills found in trades once considered vocational, rather than the strategic conversations based on traditional strategic warfare roles. Navies around the world are rapidly adopting uncrewed systems, on the surface, underwater, and in the air, to take on roles once reserved for fully crewed warships. The U.S. Navy's Ghost Fleet Overlord programme, for example, fields 90-metre drone ships that have sailed thousands of miles and even launched missiles under remote supervision by operators too junior to stand a traditional bridge watch. Australia has followed suit with Sentinel, a converted patrol boat and now the country's largest autonomous vessel, monitored by a skeleton crew of engineers camping onboard and advanced autonomy software. The Royal Navy, meanwhile, has demonstrated this shift through its NavyX...

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  14:53
• On Warrior Culture

  Editor's note: This piece is slightly different to our normal ones. It's more akin to a blog and written in the first person. However, we deemed it interesting given the writer, where they are, and the wider context. Although I am not an infantryman, I am assigned to an infantry unit here in the USA. At our recent dining out, talk inevitably turned to Saint Maurice. For those who do not know, Saint Maurice is the patron saint of infantrymen. When it came time for the commander to induct a select few into the Order of Saint Maurice, I heard the script - which includes the story of Saint Maurice - as if it was for the first time. Maurice was ordered to have his legionnaires offer pagan sacrifices before battle near the Rhone at Martigny. The Theban Legion refused to participate, and also refused to kill innocent civilians in the conduct of their duty, and withdrew to the town of Agaunum. Enraged, Maximian ordered every tenth man killed, yet they still refused. A second time the General ordered Maurice's men to participate and again they refused. Maurice declared his earnest desire to obey every order lawful in the eyes of God. "We have seen our comrades killed," came the reply. "Rather than sorrow, we rejoice at the honor done to them." I had been in a funk for the preceding few weeks. Like all members of the profession of arms I had been trying to make sense of the changes in Department policy and U.S. foreign policy that had been cascading out of the National Command Authority. Everything seemed to be in flux. Opinions among my peers differed. Nothing seemed to make sense. And then I heard this story and suddenly I felt better. I am not a religious man. And even if I were, the religion of my ancestors did not include the veneration of saints (if you must know, I'm Jewish, but you can only get military inspiration from the stories of the Maccabean Revolt so many times before you need to look further afield for inspiration). But in a time when everyone is talking about "warrior culture" - and not necessarily in a way that made good sense - the story of Saint Maurice seemed like it held some sort of answer. As a good cavalryman, I went straight to the story of Saint George. As a result of his personal bravery, this man - then known as Nestor of Cappodocia - became a member of the Roman Emperor Diocletian's personal bodyguard. In 303 AD, Diocletian issued an edict in Nicodemia, now a part of Turkey, that ordered the destruction of all Christian Churches, sacred writings and books, and outlawing all Christians who did not, on the surface at least, conform to paganry. Upon seeing the edict, Nestor tore it down. For his act and his refusal to abide by the pagan emperor's edict, Nestor was imprisoned, tortured, and executed. Early Christians changed Nestor's name to George, and he became associated with bravery, dedication to faith, and decency. The legend of St. George's defeating the dragon perpetuates the might of the mounted warrior over the forces of evil. It is an Italian legend dating from the 12th Century, and the story goes like this: Near the city of Silene, a frightful dragon came to live in a marshy swamp, and its breath poisoned all who attempted to drive it away. To protect themselves, the citizens offered the dragon two sheep every day. Soon, however, they ran out of sheep, and human sacrifices were then drawn by lot. One day, the lot fell to the king's daughter. She was left in the swamp to face the dragon, and this is where St. George finds her during his travels. In a fierce combat, George defeats the dragon but does not kill it. Instead, he ties the princess' waistband around the dragon's neck and has her lead it back to the city. There he promises to slay the dragon if the people will embrace the Christian faith. This they agree to do, and he kills the dragon. Later, of course, the dragon came to represent the embodiment of evil and hatred rather than an animal, but the moral remained. The heroism and faith of S...

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  9:07
• #WavellReviews The Accidential Soldier by Owain Mulligan

  The Accidental Soldier is hilariously excellent - a laugh-out-loud memoir that delivers a sweet blend of comedy and storytelling. It brings British military humour vividly to life, while also navigating the serious terrain of leadership through war, fear, hope, and aspiration. It reads like a screenplay in waiting, and would make a brilliant film. Owain Mulligan, a frustrated teacher and self-declared weekend warrior (a "STAB" in old Army lingo), signs up for a tour in Iraq with the Queen's Royal Hussars in a bid for change. What follows is his story as a troop leader, a far punchier job that he had signed up for. The book is filled with comic moments. Nearly every page contains a witty remark or a hilarious anecdote - from felt-tip penis graffiti in Basra Palace to bizarre and endearing interactions with Iraqis. The opening page talks of there being too much mastaubation in the draft, but the humour is actually far more sophisticated. Mulligan's tone is light-hearted, and for veterans, the authenticity of his experience rings true, even if there are some embellishments. For civilian readers, it might leave the risky impression that war is…fun. Yet beneath the humour lies something deeper. Mulligan's comedy often feels like a mask, concealing frustration, anger, and sorrow behind a stoic façade. His writing invites empathy, and his portrayal of friction between units, allied forces, or the Foreign Office, is handled with both humour and humility. For example, being stopped for his ID card by an American soldier or interactions with obviously corrupt Iraqi officials. Beyond the storytelling, The Accidental Soldier offers an important perspective. It gives a glimpse into how soldiers truly felt during their time in Iraq. Mulligan's frustrations with the Iraqi Army and Police are clear, though often cloaked in humour. By the book's end, he begins to ask the harder questions: Was it worth it? His answer "I didn't make it any worse", is offered as a kind of modest victory. This is not a mocking critique of the war. Mulligan's deep respect for Iraq and its people is evident throughout. His sense of duty, while often buried beneath comedy, is unmistakable. The book also tackles the challenges of leadership, from handling cultural differences to dealing with death. One might come away thinking Mulligan found leadership easy - but 19 years of hindsight have surely softened the harder edges. Still, there are moments when the humour fades and the rawness of memory shines through, especially in the final pages. These scenes offer a jarring but necessary reminder of war's reality - and mark a turning point in how the book should be understood. His interaction with a local complaining about their strategy or the frustration about not being able to do more comes through as critical notes. At first glance, The Accidental Soldier might seem like another in the vein of The Junior Officers' Reading Club or Doug Beattie's numerous memoirs. It's both like them and not. The heart of this book lies in bringing the human experience to life, with humour as its main weapon. Discussing the book through The Wavell Room, we finished it feeling this was a genuine reflection - one written with respect, and one that adds real authenticity to the genre. The Accidental Soldier is brilliant. It's hilarious. It's laugh-out-loud funny. A confident 11/10. A copy of The Accidental Soldier was provided to The Wavell Room by the Publisher.

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