What Hampshire has achieved is to make public what needed to be. He has smashed apart the nervousness and trepidation over serious impactful writing about the Royal Navy in the latter 20th century. The 1990s and beyond are now calling to scholars. In conclusion, The Royal Navy in the Cold War Years, 1966-1990: Retreat and Revival, is an achievement and considerable contribution to the fields of naval history and military history, a very notable one, one beyond just its content and context. To that end, this book should become a discussion point for students and military personnel when considering the past, present and future or for those wise enough to try and garner some much-needed wisdom of what to and what not to do, out of the people, problems and decisions that Hampshire has covered so accessibly in his latest book.

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The Naval Review

‘This book provides a definitive history of the Royal Navy from the 1960s to the end of the Cold War, and demonstrates a mastery of detail while keeping a firm eye on the bigger picture, weaving together an impressive range of themes and issues. It is a remarkable achievement.’

Tim Benbow, Reader in Strategic Studies, King’s College, London

‘Important and authoritative new light is shed on nearly all the major issues of a turbulent time, and it is hard to imagine anyone ever writing a better book about a subject so illustrative of Britain’s foreign and defence policy in the latter half of the twentieth century.’

Geoffrey Till, Rajaratnam Chair in Maritime Studies, RSIS, Singapore

‘This book, the first thoroughly researched assessment of British naval policy and operations in the post Admiralty era, will define the era it examines and enhance our understanding of this critical period in the Royal Navy’s long history.’

Andrew Lambert, Professor of Naval History, King’s College, London