First sea lord admits Royal Navy is not ready for war
The first sea lord admitted that the Royal Navy was not yet ready for war.
General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has said the Royal Navy has “work to do” to be ready for war, amid criticism that the US has not sent ships to support the war in Iran.
Speaking to a Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet He said on Monday: “Based on the defense investigation completed last year, I will be ready for war by the end of this decade.”
When asked to clarify whether this meant the navy was not currently “combat ready” he confirmed that he did not think the navy was ready.
Sir Gwyn said: “I can now say that we can conduct advanced operations and if we were told to go to war we would of course go to war. That is my military duty.” “But are we as ready as we need to be? I don’t think we are. We have work to do, and I am fully committed to that mission.”
US defense secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday attacked the “big, bad Royal Navy” for not sending ships to assist the US as part of Operation Epic Fury, the American-Israeli conflict in Iran.
The conflict sent shockwaves through the market, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps retaining control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime trade route, while neighboring Gulf states came under drone and missile attacks from Iran, sending oil prices through the roof.
President Donald Trump took aim at Britain on Tuesday, calling for it to either buy jet fuel from the United States or buy it directly through the Strait of Hormuz.
In a frantic post on Truth Social, he wrote: “To all the countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the UK that refuses to be involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: No. 1, buy from the US, we have plenty of it, and No. 2, gather your overdue courage, go to the Strait and just BUY.
“You’re going to have to start learning how to fight for yourself. The US won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you’re not on our side. Most of Iran has been destroyed. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT”.
Sir Gwyn told the Swedish newspaper that it was not just the UK that was not ready for war; Other NATO allies were also falling behind in the race to be ready for war in such a difficult period.
“I also see this among our allies in NATO. I’m not trying to scare people, and together we have incredible resources,” the chief of staff added.
At a summit in December, NATO allies set a new target of investing five percent of annual GDP in defense and security by 2035; this rate was at least 3.5 percent for basic military needs and 1.5 percent for related security such as cybersecurity and defense industry investments; this rate has been increased from the previous target of two percent.
All 32 members of the alliance met their 2 percent spending target last year, as Europe and Canada increased defense spending, according to a NATO report released last Thursday.
