A new geopolitical atlas argues that the UK could emerge as a central global power by the middle of the century if it concentrates defence resources on maritime capability, particularly the Royal Navy, according to the authors.
Published by the Council on Geostrategy in partnership with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, the atlas presents 12 strategic maps examining Britain’s security, economic interests and exposure to global threats.
The study makes clear that the current international environment is as dangerous as the period preceding the First World War and calls for a renewed emphasis on seapower to protect national resilience.
The publication, titled Britain’s world: The strategy of security in twelve geopolitical maps, concludes that with increased defence investment and a more integrated maritime strategy, the UK could become the “pivotal power of the mid-21st century”, particularly within alliances such as NATO and AUKUS. Several of the maps focus on critical vulnerabilities. One highlights that 99 percent of the UK’s data traffic depends on around 60 subsea cables supporting an estimated £1.15 trillion in global financial transactions each day. The atlas warns that growing Russian activity targeting undersea infrastructure via its so-called shadow fleet could cause disruption “akin to a major military attack”.
Another visualisation examines cooperation between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, described as the “CRINK” coalition. According to the publication, this grouping represents a coordinated challenge to the existing international order, noting for example that North Korea is assessed to supply “50–60 percent of Russia’s artillery expenditure in Ukraine”, with China acting as “a decisive enabler”. The atlas also places strong emphasis on the Arctic and North Atlantic, urging the UK to prepare for conflict in what it terms the “Wider North”. It notes that Russia’s Northern Fleet retains the ability to project significant firepower across the region, posing challenges to NATO’s northern approaches.
Beyond defence, the authors argue that maritime power underpins economic strength. The atlas states that maritime industries contribute more than £116 billion in turnover to the UK economy, exceeding rail and aviation combined, despite remaining “politically peripheral”. It also points to forecasts showing the UK could become the world’s fifth-largest economy by 2030, while stressing that private-sector actors such as technology firms and utilities should be integrated into national maritime security planning.
James Rogers, co-founder for research at the Council on Geostrategy, and Andrew Young, fellowships officer at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, said: “Britain has a natural asymmetry; while most nations are land-focused, the UK looks out across the sea.” They added: “If it manages to resource, integrate, and especially focus its armed forces on the Royal Navy, it has the potential to emerge in a truly enviable position by the mid-21st century – pivotal to the geopolitics of the world.”
They also warned against disengagement, stating: “If the UK attempted to retreat from geopolitical competition, history and current threat assessments suggest that the repercussions of such disengagement would soon be felt on British soil.”
In a foreword to the atlas, First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins said the risks to subsea networks were strategic in nature. He wrote: “The vulnerability of our undersea infrastructure demands that we confront malign state tactics in the depths; much like the pirates of old, attacks on these networks are assaults on civilisation itself.” He added: “These maps are crucial. They turn doctrine into terrain, and policy into place.”
Click here to see them.