According to a blistering report in the Daily Mail the UK's once mighty Navy is in a dire state, with only 9 out of a tiny force of 25 warships and attack submarines "active or deployed."
2 out of 6 destroyers, 5 out of 9 frigates and none of the UK's 6 attack submarines are active, leaving the country's 4 nuclear armed submarines effectively defenseless and reliant on US support. The UK's 2 assault ships are currently inoperable or in process of being sold/decomisioned, though 2 aircraft carriers are seaworthy but lack aircraft and experienced crews for full operational readiness.
Retired Rear Admiral Chris Parry stated, "This situation is utterly dire – we haven't got enough ships to protect our aircraft carriers and we haven't got any attack submarines to protect our nuclear deterrent." The National Interest agrees, "Despite a global deployment, the Royal Navy struggles with shrinking ship numbers, maintenance issues, and limited operations, highlighting Britain’s declining naval power and inability to project force independently."
Why the catastrophic decline? Navy Lookout lists five underlying causes for the Royal Navy's chronic lack of readiness: Long term underfunding, a hollowed out industrial ship building base, procurement dysfunction, personnel shortages - no one wants to enlist to fight for Rainbow Britain, who can blame them - and bureaucratic inertia.
You'd think that an island power which relies on maritime commerce would invest heavily in its navy, but apparently not. Against this backdrop, First Sea Lord Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins has announced Atlantic Bastion, a plan to strengthen the UK's Atlantic defense against perceived Russian threat, relying on drone technology and cooperation with Norway. Defense expert Professor Peter Roberts wasn't impressed:
"The Royal Navy does not have the ships to do this job coherently or credibly and is looking to address it with drones as they are cheaper and can provide coverage of the geographical areas for which the Royal Navy is responsible in lieu of new ships. Russia so far is going unchallenged in much of UK water space and this strategy is playing catch up long after the fact," stated Roberts to the BBC.
What can we say. The UK's apparently gambling on two things viz. never having to fight a sea war again or, if it does, relying on US ships to fight it. I wouldn't bet the monkey on either.
Sink Me,
LSP
2 comments:
Crusty Old TV Tech here. Lord Jacky Fisher is spinning violently in his grave at this. The RN, which created the Dreadnought Class battleship all on their own, reduced to no fast attack boats on patrol, and all the rest? IN 100 years, from first at sea, to this? I truly hope we do not see how low "down" is for the formerly preeminent Royal Navy.
You need the SSNs to defend the aircraft carriers. No doubt US Navy boats fill the gap to save our British Cousins for a trip to Davy Jones in the Hot Place. The money to provide a navy is diverted to provide welfare benefits to the bevy of immigrants whose welfare is the British State's first concern.
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