Joe Coates

🚨NEW🚨 Britain must once again become a naval superpower to counter Vladimir Putin’s fleet, the head of the Navy has said. Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins said the UK urgently needed to build more traditional warships and drones to protect the Atlantic from Russia. In a significant speech on Wednesday, @GenGJenkinsRM said the country must “strengthen our warfighting readiness” and “rediscover what it means to be a maritime nation”. There is increasing pressure on the Navy, which is at its smallest in living memory. Russia is believed to be targeting vital undersea cables around the UK, while recent tensions with Argentina over the Falklands have raised questions about the capability of Britain’s Armed Forces. Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, has not committed to spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030, despite calls to do so from military chiefs. He has insisted that any increase must not come at the expense of the welfare budget. Speaking this evening at a private event in Admiralty House, Whitehall, Gen Sir Gwyn said: “The greatest threat to our security today is Russia. “Russia retains advanced submarines that are increasingly difficult to track, long-range precision weapons, and specialist systems designed to operate deep underwater.” Revealing that two Navy warships were deployed every week to monitor Putin’s vessels, he said: “Russia is probing, testing and mapping. It seeks advantage in the grey zone, particularly around the critical undersea infrastructure on which modern societies rely. “And among Ukraine’s Western allies, Russia considers us to be one of its greatest foes. We know that Russia is probing us for weakness. And we are facing threats in a way we have not been since the Cold War.” The First Sea Lord argued that Britain’s national survival had always depended on its Navy. He said: “Churchill attached such significance to the Atlantic because he understood something important. The sea is not peripheral to Britain – it is existential. “Sea power not only sustained us during the war. It arguably saved us. Lose the war at sea and you lose the war. That was the warning of Admiral Pound, the first sea lord of the day, and it remains true now. “If we are to prevail in the Atlantic again, we must strengthen our warfighting readiness and rediscover what it means to be a maritime nation.” Gen Sir Gwyn also insisted that Britain must “reject any idea that the only future for the Royal Navy is one of decline”, adding: “We can still be the greatest naval power in Europe, and one of the world’s most powerful navies.” The Government is investing billions in a fleet of drone ships as part of the hybrid Navy concept. However, critics have warned that the concept is risky and relies on unproven technologies. But, backing the investment in drones, the First Sea Lord insisted: “It will make the fleet bigger, more lethal, harder to target and knock out of the fight, while also allowing us to adapt faster and impose more dilemmas on the enemy. “Yes, it is radical. Yes, we are early adopters. And yes, there are sceptics. But let me be clear: the hybrid Navy is not optional.” Full story: telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09…