Navy chief warns Britain risks defeat at sea against Russia

First Sea Lord says Britain must rebuild its war-fighting capability as shrinking fleet struggles to remain ready for action

Britain risks losing a war at sea against Russia unless the Royal Navy strengthens its ability to fight, the service's top commander has warned.

First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins told a private audience at Admiralty House in Whitehall that Britain must urgently “strengthen our war-fighting readiness” and “rediscover what it means to be a maritime nation” if it is to prevail in the Atlantic.

His warning comes as the Royal Navy faces mounting questions over the size and availability of its fleet, while Russia continues to develop submarines, long-range weapons and specialist systems capable of operating deep beneath the sea.

Russia is ‘the greatest threat’

General Sir Gwyn reportedly told the gathering that Russia represents Britain's greatest security threat.

He warned that Moscow is increasingly difficult to track beneath the waves and is probing and mapping the waters around Britain, particularly the “grey zone” surrounding critical undersea infrastructure.

His comments carry particular weight for Britain, an island nation whose security and economy depend heavily on the sea.

“The sea is not peripheral to Britain – it is existential,” he said, recalling Winston Churchill's understanding of the importance of controlling the Atlantic during the Second World War.

“Lose the war at sea and you lose the war,” he warned.

A Navy struggling to keep ships at sea

The warning comes against a backdrop of serious pressure on Britain's naval forces.

The Royal Navy's frigate fleet has fallen to just five following the retirement of HMS Iron Duke, while the service's hunter-killer submarines have repeatedly been unable to sail because of maintenance and availability problems.

Earlier this year, HMS Dragon reportedly took three weeks to reach Cyprus after RAF Akrotiri was struck by an Iranian-made drone.

Meanwhile, British submarines have been forced into patrols lasting more than 200 days because of the shortage of available vessels – voyages described by Navy insiders as becoming the “new normal”.

The result is a force that still possesses highly capable warships, submarines and aircraft, but has far fewer platforms available to deploy than its commanders would ideally want.

Defence cuts add to the pressure

The Navy is also facing the same financial pressures affecting Britain's wider armed forces.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has ordered the services to identify £3 billion in efficiencies during the current financial year, with the Army expected to find £1.2 billion and the Navy and RAF accounting for the remaining £1.8 billion.

The cuts have already provoked criticism from former military chiefs and opposition MPs, with the future size and readiness of Britain's armed forces becoming an increasingly contentious political issue.

While Streeting has argued that other areas of government spending are ultimately meaningless if Britain cannot defend itself, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has maintained that national security cannot come at the expense of social security.

Drones are the answer – but can they replace warships?

Within the financial constraints, General Sir Gwyn is attempting to transform how the Royal Navy operates.

Hundreds of uncrewed systems are being introduced to support surface and submarine forces, including drones capable of operating from carriers, frigates, destroyers and submarines.

The strategy reflects a changing battlefield in which relatively cheap autonomous systems can extend the reach of conventional forces and provide surveillance without putting sailors directly in harm's way.

But the First Sea Lord's warning underlines the central problem: technology may multiply the capabilities of Britain's remaining ships and submarines, but it cannot completely replace the physical presence of a fleet.

For a country whose security has depended on sea power for centuries, Britain's Navy is now being told that the ability to fight – not simply to patrol or deter – must once again become the priority.

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A naval conflict between Russia and Britain would involve two pathetic navies. I believe Russia has the advantage.