Yes, but its probably been true since 1945, that the Royal Navy risked defeat against the Soviet Navy. The First Sea Lord must surely know the storyThe of HMS Warrior. HMS Warrior was the world first steel hulled armoured warship. It was so advanced, it made all other warships obsolete. It served only in the Channel Squadron and they barely got 12 years out of her, because of the subsequent arms race.. The Senior Service has often gotten things wrong when procuring (not the only Navy); the near debacle in the Falklands because of the retirement of the Ark Royal and preference for Harriers over catapult Phantoms in 1982, the waste of money of HMS Ocean. And as for the Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales; magnificent ships but probably 10 years too late. Ukraine, which pretty much doesn't have a Navy, made the Black Sea Fleet, one of the most powerful fleets around, combat ineffective The three service compete, and don't always ask for the right kit. The Challenger; fine gun, but its the wrong one. Challenger 3 is a great tank, but the change in ammunition now means it carries less ammo. Britain needs to play to its strengths, which is innovation. What you might see is more Rattler swarming drone boats. Even now, the Rattlers can be "crewed" from 500 miles away, in what the RN is calling Wolf Packs. The public though want highly visible big grey boats with famous names. Submersible UAV microdrones can be deployed to picket the English channel. If need be, kill a warship with a 1000 cuts. And that includes the crew taking to lifeboats.
