Comment

Crown Copyright/MoD

Comment Peter van Schie

On the 14th December 2021, the House of Commons Defence Committee published a report entitled, “We ’ re Going to Need a Bigger Navy ” .The findings of the Defence Committee, appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Ministry of Defence and its associated public bodies, makes interesting reading.

In short, over the next five years or so, at least until the new classes of surface escorts come on stream, the Royal Navy will be asked to do even more with even less.According to the report, this is a clear risk, and as we look to the future, the report finds that the Navy ’ s fleet is too small and too specialised to meet the demands that will be placed on it over the next two decades.

The escort fleet needs to double in size by acquiring more low-end capability to carry out low end tasks, alongside ships capable of carrying out the Navy ’ s high-end warfighting commitments.Attack submarine numbers should also grow to reflect the growing importance of the subsurface domain. Funding, personnel and support shipping must grow commensurately.

Technology is also changing the character of naval warfare.Written evidence notes that new technologies are being adopted by hostile actors across the world, introducing new threats to the fleet.The Society of Maritime Industries told the comittee that examples of technology the Royal Navy is not yet prepared for include hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles, electromagnetic rail guns and directed energy weapons, cyber and electromagnetic attack, CBRN threats and asymmetric drone attacks.

Turn to page 26 to read an un-edited summary of the ‘Conclusions and Recommendations ’ section of the report which includes the somewhat concerning sentences -

“Government to be honest about its intentions ” and “ publish shipbuilding delivery plans. ”

In other news, in November 2021, HMS Queen Elizabeth, as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group, arrived in the Mediterranean.After more than seven months at sea and without any reported major accidents, the aircraft carrier was heading back home. Unfortunately, during routine flying operations a British F-35B stealth jet crashed shortly after take-off from the UK’ s flagship aircraft carrier, forcing the pilot to eject into the Mediterranean sea. The pilot was safely returned to the ship and the recovery of the wreckage started under the watchful eyes of the Russians, who also sent submarines hunting for the F-35B - as learning anything about these stealth jets would be highly prized intelligence.

Shortly after the accident a video appeared on social media of the jet taking-off and ditching in the sea. It now appears that a crew-member has been arrested for releasing the video made on a mobile phone.An investigation was instigated focusing on potential technical or human error as possible causes of the crash. Some insiders have suggested that a cheap plastic rain cover over the air-intake was left on during take-off and was seen floating after the stealth jet crashed into the sea. The covers and engine blanks are supposed to be removed before flight. The responsibility of doing this lies with the ground crew and protocols include multiple visual checks of the actual removal of the air intake covers and safety pins (which are in red colour and have the usual ‘Remove Before Flight’ sign to attract attention and prevent this kind of incident). In addition, it is usual for the pilot to walk round the jet to inspect that all is in order, and it could be argued that he should have spotted the rain cover.

If the crash was caused by human error misplacing a plastic rain cover it will be the most expensive rain cover ever - an estimated £100 million.

ON THE FRONT COVER

One from our archives! Launched on 20 June 1982 atWallsend,Tyne andWear, HMSYork was a Batch IIIType 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was accepted into service in March 1985 and was the last of theType 42 destroyers to be built for the Royal Navy.

HMSYork had a maximum speed of 34 knots and was one of the Royal Navy ' s fastest destroyers. On 20 September 2012, she entered Portsmouth harbour for the final time and was decommissioned on 27 September 2012. In August 2012, the ship was put up for sale and was scrapped inTurkey in 2015.

(Photo copyright NavyBooks)