‘It’s a modern offer’: Royal Navy Commander defends no ships in Middle East saying it's what Allies 'want'
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The head of the Royal Navy’s fleet has defended the lack of warships in the Middle East - going as far to say it’s what British allies “want”.
Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse said Britain has moved to bolster its training offer in the Gulf rather than deploying warships. Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster has been a stalwart in the region before she was decommissioned in December last year.
Britain’s remaining Gulf vessel, the Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel HMS Middleton, is also expected to leave shortly with no plans for a replacement. This would leave the UK without a naval presence in the Gulf for the first time since 1980.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Vice Adm Moorhouse said: “When you look at what we’re offering now into the Middle East, it’s a more modern offer for what the regional partners want.”
When asked if this was because of the lack of ships in the fleet, he added: “Well, of course, because those ships aren’t there, but when you ask what they actually want from us, they now want is boarding teams to help them to build up their own capabilities, autonomous systems, and some leadership in the maritime environment.”
Smaller Royal Navy fleet and changing priorities
The Daily Telegraph said the Navy is providing regional partners such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain with training on how to board vessels used by drug-smuggling gangs and pirates. Royal Marines from Task Force 16 previously assisted in such tasks from frigates.
Former First Sea Lord, Admiral Lord West of Spithead, said Vice Adm Moorhouse is “putting a brave face on it”. “The bottom line is the Navy has got so small it can’t do the tasks in the past we would expect of it,” he added.
“My view is you go towards the sound of the guns and that is about to be the Middle East and we have got almost nothing there. It’s ludicrous.”
New warships are being built to replace the ageing Duke-class Type 23s. The programme to build Inspiration-class Type 31 vessels, which will be based in Portsmouth and tasked with various missions, is progressing - HMS Active was unveiled out of the shipyard and the construction of HMS Bulldog has begun.
Submarine-hunting Type 26 frigates, which will primarily be deployed in the North Atlantic, are being built in Glasgow. Both classes of ship are set to join the fleet from the late 2020s and 2030s. These eight modern ships will give the Royal Navy more options, with the force’s frigate line-up reducing to six if HMS Richmond never sails again.
Most of the resources will be pooled into the North Atlantic and High North in response to the growing threat of Russia. First Sea Lord Sir Gwyn Jenkins previously said: “Despite Russia's egregious war against Ukraine, where millions have been killed or injured for modest gains in territory, Russia has continued to pump huge resources into its Northern Fleet and increasingly capable sub-surface capabilities.
“Right now, we are being tested in the Atlantic – our own back yard. These are unstable and dangerous times. Our job is to protect our island nation. We are the first and last line of defence for the United Kingdom."
He added: “This is where I must be absolutely clear: we fight with what we've got. This is not a slogan. It is a statement of intent. It is the hard yards of leadership excellence that will determine whether we succeed or fail.”