We must support the Royal Navy’s warfighting plan
Russian ship Yantar, November 2025 (PA Images / Stefan Rousseau / Alamy)
3 min read
At the International Sea Power Conference 2025, the flagship conference of the Royal Navy, earlier this month, First Sea Lord Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins launched a critical call to action: to transform the Royal Navy to warfighting readiness.
In recent weeks, the Royal Navy has responded to two separate incidents of Russian vessels on the edge of UK waters, including the research vessel (widely understood to be a spy ship) Yantar in the North Sea. This prompted the despatch of HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate, to shadow the ship as it moved towards the Faroe Islands.
These are far from unique occurrences; they are examples of hostile state activity both in and around the UK – and they are just the tip of an iceberg.
Looking at the global picture we see intensifying geopolitical competition, open Russian aggression in Europe, substantial capability investments by our adversaries and competitors, and the incredible technological evolution of warfare. So, how do we ensure the UK and its allies are secure at home and strong abroad, including being warfighting ready?
The First Sea Lord's mission is to transform the Royal Navy to warfighting readiness over the next four years – ready to lead, fight, and win alongside our key allies and partners, particularly across the Euro-Atlantic. This transformation is centred on developing the new ‘Hybrid Navy’: a fleet that is uncrewed wherever possible and crewed only where indispensable.
When introduced, this new hybrid fleet will allow the UK to reinforce our Atlantic Bastion posture to protect our sensitive waters and lines of communication for Nato, alongside our contribution to air defence from the North with Atlantic Shield and an ability to strike with Atlantic Strike. It will also enable us to lead in shaping global maritime order more effectively than we have in years.
Maritime power is the lynchpin of Britain’s 21st-century strategy. Over 90 per cent of UK trade comes via the sea; critical energy and data flow undersea. Over the last 50 years, there has been a major erosion in the nation’s understanding of the key importance of maritime power for trade and security. Despite our status as an island nation in the Euro-Atlantic, the British public consistently overlooks the importance of the sea to their interests, including economic prosperity and national security.
For our navy to succeed, and our security to be assured, we need a renewed understanding of maritime power, with full support for transformation. This is why it is important that the transformation of our navy receives deserved attention in Parliament. That includes not only military equipment but also the need to strip back bureaucracy for decisions to be reached more swiftly and effectively.
It also means reimagining how we invest and fund our capabilities. We know industry is keen to provide additional investment to make the procurement of Atlantic Bastion autonomous vessels possible. But we need to match that with a clear plan for how funding will arrive and by when.
Policymakers in both Houses must help support the Royal Navy’s mission and carry the message to the whole country. As the Strategic Defence Review indicated earlier this year, a whole-of-society approach is required to strengthen national resilience, and support those who serve in their mission to safeguard our homeland and protect our interests abroad.
For the UK, the maritime domain has always been central to national security and economic growth, and the Royal Navy’s mission to guard it remains the same. The pace of change and the magnitude of the geostrategic challenge require a new approach, however. In this move to warfighting readiness to deter our adversaries, we all have a role to play.
Lord Mountevans is a crossbench peer and Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė is co-founder (strategy) at the Council on Geostrategy
