2026 Summer issue

Welcome to the Journal of the Royal Corps of Signals Online

For nearly a century, the Journal has been the voice of the Royal Signals community - sharing knowledge, driving innovation, and fostering professional dialogue across the Corps, the wider Army, Defence, and Industry. The Journal website is an abridged version – the headlines - it offers concise highlights with links to full articles, making it easier than ever to stay informed. But this is more than a publication - it’s a forum for ideas.

We invite you to join the conversation: share your insights, challenge assumptions, and help shape the future of military information services, cyber and electromagnetic capability.

Why engage?

Your experience matters. Whether you’re leading operational change, exploring emerging technologies, reflecting on exercises, or developing doctrine, your perspective can spark debate and influence progress.

Ways to contribute:

Write an article: Submit well-researched, thought-provoking pieces on topics relevant to the Corps and beyond.
Send a letter: Short on time? Share your views or reflections on recent Journal content or current events.

Editorial guidance is available, and the latest edition is here for inspiration. We’re now gathering material for the Summer 2026 Edition — If you have something to say, tell the Journal of the Royal Corps of Signals.

📧 Submit contributions or enquiries to: journal@royalsignals.org

Joe Cooper
Editor

RSI Matters and Lead Articles

In this Edition ...Summer 2026

Colonel Joe Cooper, RSI Director This Summer 2026 edition of the Journal of the Royal Corps of Signals reflects a Corps - and a profession - at an inflection point. Across its pages runs a consistent theme: that operational advantage in contemporary conflict derives less from individual technologies than from the ability to integrate, govern, and exploit them coherently, at pace and at scale. From strategy and doctrine through to technical delivery and lived experience, the c

RSI Chair's Report

Brigadier Richard Byfield MBE This edition appears at a time when Defence and the Army are changing. From April 2026, Defence Reform has begun to take more practical effect as it drives to make Defence work as one enterprise: clearer in how it sets priorities and makes decisions, simpler in its governance and processes, better in how it brings together people, data, digital tools and industry, and more joined-up in how it delivers capability for warfighting readiness. In my d

Letters to the Editor

Review of 2026 RSI talks and lectures … Sir, The Royal Signals Institution’s 2026 talk and lecture series deserves credit for its seriousness of intent and for the consistency of its messaging. Yet if the purpose of professional education is not merely to inform but to unsettle, then it is worth asking whether the series challenges the Corps as forcefully as the operational environment now demands. Across the programme, speakers repeatedly and persuasively describe the electr

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

On 13 November 2025, the Royal Signals Institution (RSI) welcomed serving personnel, veterans, industry partners, and distinguished guests to London’s prestigious Dorchester Hotel, Park Lane for an evening that showcased the very best of the Corps’ professionalism, innovation, and ethos. 400 attendees gathered first in the Gold and Silver Rooms for a reception before moving through to the Ballroom, where the Institution marked its third year dining at The Dorchester — an indi

General Interest

STRATEGY AS ARCHITECTURE:

A UK NATIONAL STRATEGY 2026–2036 - FROM EAST/WEST ORIENTATION TO DIGITAL AGENCY by Howard Tweedie The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) strategic posture for 2026–2036 will be determined less by diplomatic alignment than by whether the MoD can build, govern, and protect a coherent digital backbone across Defence and its industrial base. The traditional “East or West” framing collapses under contemporary conditions. In an environment defined by industrial war, allianc

Leadership Principles for the AI-enabled Battlefield

by Dr Martin Crilly This paper examines the leadership challenges and opportunities emerging as artificial intelligence becomes a defining feature of future conflict. While advanced AI systems now offer unprecedented speed, scale, and analytical capability — reshaping decision-centric warfare — the paper argues that technological advantage alone will not determine battlefield success. Instead, victory will depend on leaders who can integrate AI responsibly, build trust in hum

The Autonomous Battlefield Perception

by SSgt Mat Gardam Warfare is changing faster than our ability to understand it. As technology accelerates and artificial intelligence becomes woven into the fabric of military decision making, we are forced to confront questions that previous generations never had to ask. What happens when machines begin to influence — or even make — decisions traditionally reserved for humans? And more importantly, how do our own perceptions of intelligence, reality, and morality shape the

A primer: the R SIGNALS Technology 10 - Insights and impacts

by Brigadier Mike Fayers This primer outlines ten emerging technologies expected to shape the Royal Signals over the next decade, stressing that future success will hinge on adaptability rather than precise prediction. It highlights a shift toward digitally enabled warfare, driven by cloud computing, zero trust security, advanced connectivity, and the exploitation of data at scale. Together, these developments underpin faster decision-making, improved interoperability with al

GNSS Resilience: The Economic and Security Imperative of Modern Warfare

by Professor Aled Catherall GNSS signals underpin far more than navigation. Precise satellite timing synchronises power grids, financial markets, cellular networks and industrial automation. Yet the degradation of GNSS is far easier to achieve than many assume, and the consequences can be severe. The scale of the problem is growing fast. IATA data shows GNSS interference now affects over 5% of commercial flights in Europe, with signal loss events up 220% between 2021 and 2024

Alea IactAI Est

Enablement, Cross-Level Integration and Ethical Risk in Military Planning and Execution Lieutenant Colonel Elliot Shale This article examines the impact of narrow artificial intelligence technologies on the planning and execution of warfare across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels. Drawing on NATO doctrine the analysis uses situational awareness and targeting processes as representative case studies to evaluate how current AI capabilities, including machine lear

Promoting Enquiry

DATA BEFORE ALGORITHMS (Part 1)

Data Governance and Data Management form the essential foundation for any Artificial Intelligence initiative. by Captain Graham Beaver The Strategic Defence Review 2025 positions Artificial Intelligence as a defining capability for the future Integrated Force. Yet the realisation of AI-enabled decision advantage, as envisioned through the Digital Targeting Web and Multi-Domain Integration, remains contingent on a foundation that may not receive the prioritisation in policy im

AI Accelerated Software Development

Major Durgan Cooper VR AI Accelerated Software Development is an emerging approach where practitioners collaborate iteratively with AI coding assistants to translate intent into working software at materially greater speed than traditional methods. The opportunity and the risks are relevant across Defence, but this article focuses on utility for The British Army. The strategic prize is much improved time to capability, better translation of operational need into useful tools,

Sovereign Speckled Jim – defender of the Digital veto power?

by Brigadier (Retired) Sara Sharkey The UK has spent a decade optimising digital services for speed and efficiency often by consolidating onto a small number of global platforms. It works brilliantly… right up until it does not. When critical systems depend on external jurisdictions, external control planes and a handful of suppliers, the real question is not “where the data sits” it is “who can ultimately decide what happens when conditions change.” This article argues that

ON TOP OF YOUR IA GAME?

Why TEMPEST ICT protection matters more now than ever by David G Watson We welcome contributions from our corporate membership. TIA Group is a sovereign Electro-Mechanical design and integration company with a dedicated Lab and Manufacturing facility based in Gloucester. They have pedigree in the design, development, manufacture and support of bespoke Electronics capabilities with long established record of success in the specialisms of EMC & TEMPEST equipment and consulting

Cyber security leadership in the civil nuclear sector

by Dr Richard Piggin This article was originally published in the Nuclear Institute’s Nuclear Future Journal. Dr Richard Piggin was awarded the prestigious 2025 Pinkerton Prize, an annual award presented in memory of JB Pinkerton, the founder of the Institution of Nuclear Engineers. The award recognises articles of exceptional technical or scientific merit. Richard wrote the article following the collaboration between the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Accenture to

Why doesn’t Defence Acquisition work?

by Dr Richard Davis In “Why doesn’t Defence Acquisition work?”, Dr Richard Davis argues that persistent underperformance in UK defence acquisition stems primarily from two systemic issues: flawed organisational structures and insufficient professional competence within the Civil Service. On organisation, the author highlights the failure to maintain unified project authority. The late-1990s “Smart Acquisition” reforms introduced Integrated Project Teams (IPTs), which successf

Signallers and Signalling Success

The History of the Royal Corps of Signals Depicted in its Paintings - Gilbert Holiday.

Menin Gate - Gilbert Holiday, c. 1924 This is a study of a despatch rider passing the Menin Gate during an artillery bombardment. Gilbert Holiday served mainly in the Ypres Salient and so would have had first-hand knowledge of the scene depicted here. On its formation the Royal Signals inherited from its parent unit, the Royal Engineer Signal Service, four major works of art, Through by F P Martin, and three paintings by Gilbert Holiday, which depicted the work of signallers

Reflections - Historical Articles

The Telephone’s sesquicentennial

From harmonic telegraph to wearable technology by Nigel Linge, Andy Sutton, Neil Johannessen, Andy Simmons, and Andrew Hurley The 14th of February 2026 was an important sesquicentennial anniversary for telecommunications because it was on that day in 1876, 150 years ago, that Alexander Graham Bell submitted his patent for what became the telephone. Since then, the telephone has undergone a metamorphosis that has transformed it from something akin to a piece of furniture to a

OPERATION VARSITY, THE RHINE CROSSING

by Nick Metcalfe This article offers a detailed and compelling account of the Royal Corps of Signals’ contribution to Operation Varsity (24 March 1945), the airborne component of the Rhine crossing. Focusing on the integration of British signallers with the United States 17th Airborne Division, it highlights the critical role of No. 2 Air Support Signal Unit (ASSU) “tentacles” in enabling close air support through robust communications between ground forces, higher headquarte

From Boy Soldier to Lieutenant Colonel: The Career of Pat Soward

by Sarah Lambert In this article, Sarah Lambert, Head of Storytelling at the Royal Signals Museum, explores the military service of Pat Soward. Pat was involved with the Museum for many years, taking a key role in its 1995 development project, managing volunteers and producing multiple tour guides. There are some documents in the Archive pertaining to his military career, but it was only in 2022 through an oral history interview, that a fuller picture of his service years was

Book Reviews

Nations in Arms: Five Armies that made Europe

By Barney White-Spunner I enjoyed reading this book. It blends military and political history over a period of 1700 years to bring us five examples of the building of armies: armies that successfully furthered the interests of their states in Europe at the time and also lasted as an integral part of their nations’ capabilities for many decades, in some cases for centuries. General White-Spunner, a previous GOC 3 Div and Commander Field Army combines his extensive experience o

Future-Fit Innovation

By Barbara Salopek Future-Fit Innovation, written by Barbara Salopek and published in 2025, is an accessible guide to the principles that underpin sustained innovation within organisations. Despite leading a company focused on the technological and digital media sector, Salopek deliberately avoids an overemphasis on processes, frameworks, and techniques. Instead, she argues that effective innovation is fundamentally rooted in people, noting that both innovation and its potent

How Progress Ends: Technology, Innovation, and the Fate of Nations (2025)

By Carl Benedikt Frey Carl Benedikt Frey is a Swedish-German economist and economic historian. He is currently the Dieter Schwarz Associate Professor of AI & Work at the Oxford Internet Institute and a Fellow of Mansfield College, University of Oxford. He is widely known for his joint work with Michael A. Osborne in their 2013 paper, ‘The Future of Employment,’ which estimated that 47% of US jobs were at high risk of automation, becoming one of the first and most cited works

2084: An AI Dystopia

By Rab Mulholland BSc MBA MSc …Although the Journal of the Royal Signals ordinarily reviews non fiction with direct professional relevance, on this occasion I have chosen to include a review of 2084: An AI Dystopia. While a work of fiction, its themes - AI mediated decision making, digital trust architectures, and the societal implications of interconnected information systems - speak directly to contemporary debates within Defence and the wider information environment. Ficti

AI, Automation and War

by Anthony King Anthony King's AI, Automation, and War: The Rise of a Military-Tech Complex showcases how war is changing and being adapted with the advancement of new technologies in the case of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Having served in the Military, King draws on his knowledge and experience of this area and provides a detailed overview of autonomous weapons and robotic combat. Initially, King starts the book referencing the movie Terminator, which was an iconic movie

Blood & Treasure: The Economics of Conflict from the Vikings to Ukraine

by Duncan Weldon Duncan Weldon’s Blood & Treasure offers a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of the intricate relationship between economics and warfare throughout history. Structured in a clear chronological format, the book examines how nations (and their ‘ violence specialists’ ) have harnessed economic power to wage war, and conversely, how the demands of conflict have driven innovation, adaptation, and, in more recent times, economic collapse. Weldon’s work of

Redefining Hacking – A Comprehensive Guide To Red Teaming And Bug Bounty Hunting In An AI-Driven World

by Omar Santos, Savannah Lazzara and Wesley Thurner Redefining Hacking is a thorough break-down of red-teaming, the tools, techniques and procedures hackers use in the virtual and physical world. Think of it as a shopping list of exploits which a Cyber security consultant should be aware of, with the contents distilled down so anyone could understand it. If you are interested in learning about hacking then don’t be put off by the thought of this being too technical for you, t

Reweaving the Web

by Richard Whitt This book is a manifesto for the reform of the World Wide Web. Its goal is the restoration of individual users’ confidence that they can trust and only benefit from their interactions with corporations and governments over the Web. The book exposes how we have become increasingly entangled in the aptly named Web: huge data-gathering companies have adopted business models premised on online surveillance, the extraction of personal data and biased algorithms. I

The Dark Path: The Structure of War and the Rise of the West

by Williamson Murray The Dark Path examines the last five hundred years of conflict and war, primarily in Europe and The West, though also offering insight elsewhere when required. Williamson Murray proposes that fundamentally, the nature of war is unchanging, however it is the intense competition for power and instability unique to Europe over the last few centuries which have constantly and unequivocally changed the character of war through the adaptation of new technology

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