Andrew Livsey served in the Royal Navy as a warfare officer from 1997 to 2023. Between operations at sea, he was awarded the King’s College London Sir Michael Howard Prize for finishing top of the MA on staff course in 2017 and held the Hudson Fellowship with the Changing Character of War Centre at Oxford University in 2021–22. He also wrote a significant portion of the Royal Navy’s fighting doctrine.

Andrew is now completing a PhD at King’s College London on the development of sea power thought during the Cold War while working for the Ministry of Defence. He has been published on maritime thought and history in War in History, the RUSI Journal, The Mariner’s Mirror, and The Naval Review, from which he won the prize for best articles in 2017 and 2018.

Research Interests

• Naval and Maritime Strategy
• Naval Doctrine and Tactics
• Sea Power and Geopolitical Influence
• Cold War Maritime Operations

Andrew’s primary focus is completing his PhD, but he has also written on naval tactics and tactical doctrine, as well as Royal Navy culture and training. Additionally, he has contributed book reviews and is currently working on short pieces exploring future naval vessels.

Publications

• “National, Bilateral and Multinational: The Development of Royal Navy Tactical Doctrine in the Cold War,” War in History, 2024, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/09683445241301727
• “Royal Navy Culture: What to Keep and What to Change,” RUSI Journal, 169, issue 7 (2024) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03071847.2024.2433468
• “The Royal Navy and Julian Corbett, 1990-2020,” RUSI Journal, 167, issue 4-5 (2022), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03071847.2022.2126387
• “The Royal Navy’s Principal Warfare Officer Course, 1972-2015,” The Mariner’s Mirror, 103, issue 3 (2017), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00253359.2017.1340426
• “Attacking and Protecting Shipping”, The Wavell Room, https://wavellroom.com/2022/05/04/attacking-and-protecting-shipping/

Book Reviews

• Maritime Britain in the 21^st Century: https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews/maritime-britain-in-the-21st-century/ ;
• Balancing Strategy: Sea Power, Neutrality and Prize Law in the Seven Years’ War: https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews/maritime-britain-in-the-21st-century/ ;
• British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony: https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews/maritime-britain-in-the-21st-century/ ;
• Fleet Tactics: https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews/fleet-tactics-and-naval-operations/
• Fighting the Fleet: https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews/fighting-the-fleet-operational-art-and-modern-fleet-combat/