44: Bear and Dragon Rising

During the first part of a fascinating discussion with host Iain Ballantyne, returning guest Dr James Bosbotinis provides insights into the naval significance of a big military parade in China. Also considered is the current status of the Russian threat and the scale of danger being faced by NATO.

More specifically, Iain asks if a recent incident involving the allegedly broken down diesel-electric Kilo Class submarine RFS Novorossiysk indicates - as the head of NATO has contended - that the Russian Navy of today is less ‘Hunt for the Red October’ and more like ‘the Hunt for a mechanic.’

James explains the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian Navy, not least as embodied by its powerful Northern Fleet based in and around the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic.

Moving on, Iain and James discuss the current defence posture of the USA, whose apparently hesitant commitment to NATO possibly creates an element of uncertainty that could prompt miscalculations…leading to the long-feared ‘Third World War’.

Also on the topics list is the ‘Axis of bother’ – Russia’s global disruptor mission in concert with like-minded rogue states such as North Korea and Iran.

When it comes to China, James offers an assessment on what was shown off during the recent military parade in Beijing and how it relates to naval forces and growing Chinese military power, a subject he also tackled in an article for the November edition of Warships IFR magazine.

The December edition of Warships IFR is published on 21.11.25 in the UK and also deployed globally. It includes an article by James Bosbotinis on the North Korean threat and how it might be defanged without provoking a nuclear exchange.

Visit the magazine web site http://bit.ly/wifrmag Also, follow it on X @WarshipsIFR Facebook @WarshipsIFR and Warships IFR TV on YouTube @warshipsifrtv3668 

For more on the magazine https://warshipsifr.com/

• Dr James Bosbotinis is a freelance specialist in defence and international affairs and the Book Reviews Editor of ‘The Naval Review’. He has written widely on issues including: development of maritime strategy, long-range strike technologies (including hypersonic weapons) and their impact on strategy; Russian naval and wider military modernisation; China’s evolving strategy and naval force development. Dr Bosbotinis contributes to various international media outlets. He is also an Associate Member of the Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies, King’s College London.

For more information about Dr Bosbotinis visit

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbosbotinis

He is on X @JamesBosbotinis

•Iain Ballantyne is the founding and current Editor of ‘Warships IFR’ magazine (first published in 1998) along with its ‘Guide to the Royal Navy’ (since 2003) and ‘Guide to the US Navy’ (since 2018). Iain is also author of the books ‘Hunter Killers’ (Orion) and ‘The Deadly Trade’ (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), both about submarine warfare, plus ‘Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron’ and ‘Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom’ (both published by Canelo). In 2017 Iain was awarded a Fellowship by the British Maritime Foundation, which promotes awareness of the United Kingdom’s dependence on the sea and seafarers. Visit his web site Bismarckbattle.com and follow him on X @IBallantyn