Current RN News and Updates

[Pelican]

Southwick Park: New wargaming hub 'to change UK defence culture'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-h ... e-68677561

[Pelican]

Ministry of Defence
The UK built Malloy T-150 is a heavy lift drone that has proven itself in and will be in service with our Royal Marines.
Acquiring proven platforms that can be upgraded, like the T-150, is key to our UK Defence Drone Strategy.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new- ... med-forces

[Pelican]

Seaman Specialists need to learn how to undertake a Replenishment at sea (RAS)
Forces News reporter, Tim Cooper, went along to HMS Raleigh to find out how technical skills like the replenishment at sea are mastered.
Watch here
https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=743550767564614

[Brian James]

Repairs to RFA Ships to India...https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... 07KS4wrG7-

[Pelican]

Royal Navy reports minor fires, all quickly extinguished

In a recent Written Parliamentary Question submitted to the Ministry of Defence, Luke Pollard MP, representing Labour (Co-op) for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, inquired about the frequency of fires on Royal Navy warships from 2020 to the present year.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/royal-n ... inguished/

[Pelican]

The factors shaping the future Royal Navy surface fleet

In March 2022 the National Shipbuilding Strategy refresh was published. Two years on, we consider how realistic this looks and the issues that will influence the future surface fleet.

Based on the UK shipbuilding forecast, by the mid-2030s, almost the entire existing RN fleet (apart from the aircraft carriers) will either have been replaced or a programme for their replacement should be underway. The plan looks sensible but there are 4 main issues that will impact whether these vessels are delivered or if the future navy looks very different. These factors are (1) funding, (2) changes to the current fleet, (3) the pace of technological change and (4) the possibility of a major conflict.

Politics and funding
It looks almost certain that a Labour government will be in power before the end of this year and a defence review will follow in 2025. With good reason, Labour politicians are increasingly critical of the way the Tories have handled defence while they themselves are not promising any significant increase in the budget. As has been the case for a long time, there is a huge disparity between the MoD’s Equipment Plan for the next 10 years and the available budget. The latest assessment by the Public Accounts Committee estimates this to be a deficit of at least £16.9bn.

Large parts of the shipbuilding budget are not currently funded and without a policy change, there will simply not be the cash available to build everything the RN aspires to. Each programme will have to be balanced against other priorities in the 2025 review and either cut, descoped or another solution found. The ‘Cinderella’ Type 32 frigate concept and the Multi-Role Support Ships will be the two biggest projects for consideration in the next review. It is pure speculation but Type 32 will probably be an ambition too far and MRSS may be de-scoped to fewer ships. Whether there is the stomach to fully abandon, fudge a compromise, or retain UK amphibious/Littoral Strike capability will be one of the litmus tests for the new government’s commitment to defence.

With Labour’s links to the Trade Unions and vocal backing for shipbuilding and industrial jobs, any failure to follow through on the promises of the NSbS will be difficult to explain. Against this background, industrial policy may become an even bigger driver of defence policy, propelling ‘unaffordable’ programmes past Main Gate.

Continues https://www.navylookout.com/the-factors ... ace-fleet/

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout
The factors shaping the future Royal Navy surface fleet - Attached.

[Posted for quick easy reference in the future.]

Q & A
Aren't the 2 carriers members of the surface fleet?
The list mentions existing surface ships, such as Albion and Bulwark, but not the carriers.
Maybe since they're not on the list they may be disposed of soon? Out of sight, out of mind, right?
The carriers are not due for replacement until the 2060s so are not in the shipbuilding plan - the focus of the article.

[Pelican]

Navy Lookout

3 ex-defence secretaries, MPs and members of the House of Lords launch the Defence investment campaign urging government to spend 2.5% of GDP on defence in each year of the next Parliament with a longer-term commitment to reach 3% by 2030.

https://www.geostrategy.org.uk/defence- ... -campaign/

[Brian James]

Rubis Class nuclear powered Attack Submarine Améthyste pictured with an Westland 802 NAS Merlin AW101 HM MkII ...2024.

[Pelican]

10 reasons to be optimistic about the strength of the Royal Navy

There have been a swathe of negative news stories about the RN in the last 6 months and received wisdom is that the Navy is in terrible shape.
While facing enormous challenges, the outlook is not all bleak and here we highlight some reasons to believe the RN is still a very credible fighting force.

Continues https://www.navylookout.com/10-reasons- ... oyal-navy/