Britain on brink of losing Atlantic to Russia, navy chief warns
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has issued one of the starkest warnings yet about Britain’s capability at sea amid the rising threat of underwater attack.
Britain is close to losing the Atlantic to Russia for the first time since the end of the Second World War, the first sea lord has warned.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins used a conference in London to issue one of the starkest warnings yet about Britain’s capability at sea amid the rising threat of underwater attack.
He said the Royal Navy would struggle to keep pace without rapid transformation and the support of NATO allies.
“The advantage that we have enjoyed in the Atlantic since the end of the Cold War, the Second World War, is at risk. We are holding on, but not by much,” Jenkins told the International Sea Power Conference.
“There is no room for complacency. Our would-be opponents are investing billions. We have to step up or we will lose that advantage. We cannot let that happen.”
He said that Russia had invested “billions” in its maritime capabilities, particularly the northern fleet, “despite the millions of lives and the cost of their egregious illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
There has been a 30 per cent increase in Russian incursions into British waters in the past two years, including the “visible presence” of spy ships such as Yantar, which is suspected of mapping underwater cables. It entered UK waters last month and shone lasers at military pilots.
Referring to the threat posed by Russia, Jenkins said Yantar was “only the visible bit we see in the public, but it’s not the bit that worries me the most”. He said: “It’s what’s going on under the waves that most concerns me.”
Jenkins said the UK was tackling the war in “the underwater battlespace” with new technologies such as autonomous underwater gliders, which can detect enemy submarines, and the “Atlantic Bastion”, a series of autonomous sensors that will serve as “our eyes and ears”, contracts for which will be issued next year.
Jenkins became head of the navy in May. The service has suffered problems for years, including ships and submarines being unavailable for operations and a struggle to recruit enough sailors, although this is slowly improving.
The navy’s ageing four Vanguard-class submarines, which carry Trident nuclear missiles, have to stay at sea for many months because of a lack of available boats, and none of its five Astute-class attack submarines are believed to be at sea because of refits and other problems.
On Monday, Jenkins announced an overhaul to the way senior navy officers are trained after a series of scandals involving his predecessor and other commanding officers.
“We need war-fighting leaders, which is why we’ve embarked on a program to revise the way we train our officers within the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines,” he said. “We need leadership excellence. That is, leaders who can deliver results. That they can do it whilst inspiring their people.”
Sir Ben Key became the first head of the navy to have his service terminated after an investigation found his behaviour had “fallen far short of values and standards”, following claims he had an affair with a subordinate.
Lieutenant Commander Martyn Mayger, who assumed command of the offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne in February, was removed from his job in May.
Also in May, The Times reported that three submarine captains had been stripped of OBEs over scandals including making an X-rated film and punching a female officer.
The Times
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