"Fantastic" work to "rebuild our Royal Navy" in Portsmouth as minister praises "lethal" modernisation efforts
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Modernisation efforts to create a Royal Navy fleet for the future have been praised by the armed forces minister.
Former Royal Marines Colonel Al Carns, now Parliamentary Under-Secretary for defence, championed the “amazing” work taking place at HMNB Portsmouth. During a tour of the base on January 13, he hailed efforts to transform the fleet using a mix of conventional warships and un-crewed vessels.
The Labour MP said: “It's fantastic to see how fast the Navy is developing towards a new hybrid concept. We’ve seen Yantar off the north east of Scotland. We’ve seen Russia continually test Nato and our allies all the way up and down our borders.
“It’s really important we deter them effectively. The marines and sailors I’ve met are developing an amazing mix of un-crewed and autonomous systems, that can dock into manned surface vessels and subsurface capabilities, to provide a lethal mix for a future Royal Navy.”
The move towards a hybrid fleet was first announced in the Strategic Defence Review. Under the Atlantic Bastion programme, showcased to The News during a tour of the experimental ship XV Patrick Blackett, autonomous vessels and submersibles will be deployed to the North Atlantic to deter Russian submarines and other threats.
Examples include the Rattler boats, which are currently undertaking trials around Portsmouth. These and other capabilities with deploy with warships, namely the Type 26 frigates currently being built, alongside Nato allies such as Norway.
Mr Carns added: “This is important to everyone in Britain because it’s creating thousands of skilled jobs, and is an engine for growth all the way up the country. It’s a whole of society approach to rebuild our Navy into a hybrid one that will really hold its own when it comes to any future threats.”
Rapid modernisation will need to continue to retain the core strength of the fleet. With ageing platforms such as Type 23 frigates retiring while newer vessels are being built, it will be race to retain the force’s strength and keep up with the UK’s adversaries.
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said: “This is the Hybrid Navy in action – crewed alongside un-crewed, traditional strengths meeting new technology. Innovation and agility are central to our war fighting readiness. We must match the pace of change to meet evolving threats.”