First Sea Lord: Navy is prepared and delivering every day

The First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, was speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies yesterday, Wednesday 24 February 2010.

In his speech entitled 'Delivering Defence Today and Tomorrow: The Maritime Contribution', Admiral Stanhope said he wanted to make some observations that build on the Defence Green Paper, 'Adaptability and Partnership: Issues for the Strategic Defence Review', which was launched earlier this month to set key questions regarding the future of Defence.

See Related News for more on the Green Paper.

Admiral Stanhope said that the dilemma which Defence faces is support to the 'Main Effort' in Afghanistan while meeting other standing commitments, at the same time as preparing for an uncertain future against a backdrop of significant public debt.

If we are to resolve that dilemma, he said, our Armed Forces need to be much more adaptable and better able to operate alongside others, military and governmental, UK and multi-national, adding:

"To my mind, that means, among other things, a continued emphasis on joint operations at every step of our development of military capabilities; doctrine, training, equipment, support, you name it, must be underpinned by the joint piece."

His speech focused on how the Royal Navy has unique attributes that make it a vital component in meeting the dilemma:

"Maritime forces benefit from unique attributes which allow them to be used, not only operationally to fight on land, sea and in the air, all over the world, but also strategically to contain and prevent conflict from happening in the first place.

"Such wide utility is a consequence of the global reach and enduring presence that are the characteristics of such forces. They can deliver a range of effects on behalf of a Government seeking choice in its means of response to a developing threat to UK interests, whether a warship acting alone or as part of a multi-national joint task force.

"This country's Naval Service is inherently flexible and able to integrate with our sister Services, allies and other partners.

"Maritime forces are constantly engaged in shaping and setting the conditions which facilitate the work of others.

"They can also enhance the contribution of others. I firmly believe that maritime forces have a vital role to play in contributing to the delivery of the Defence mission in the unpredictable world of tomorrow."

The Admiral gave some examples of how maritime forces contribute to what Defence can do at the strategic and operational levels. In giving these examples he said:

"I hope to show you that maritime forces possess the attributes of flexibility and interoperability that are at a premium in Defence thinking and which are the themes underpinning the Green Paper."

The first example Admiral Stanhope gave was the response of HMS Illustrious and her air group, along with HMS Ocean and her Amphibious Ready Group, to an urgent request from the UN in 2000 for assistance in bolstering a fast-deteriorating security situation in Sierra Leone.

Admiral Stanhope said that the British military intervention there was a success and made the point that all three Services had their part to play in countering this particular insurgency - just as they do in Afghanistan - and all contributed to the ultimate success of the mission. He also said:

"A capable Navy with a global presence not only supported the operation, but also shaped it. Maritime power played its part in allowing a relatively small force of ground troops to achieve superiority in critical areas of our choosing.

"If you want agile forces, able to be tailored for a specific mission, if you want them to be sustained and supported from a position of security, then maritime forces can make an important contribution.

"Where you are operating in territory that has a coast, or is accessible from the sea, the sea control and sea denial that maritime forces deliver are a prerequisite for operational success.

"I want to stress that, because it resonates with a similar point made by the Chief of the Air Staff when he spoke here a few weeks ago. He warned that we should guard against the presumption that air superiority is a given. I agree.

"Equally, we should not assume that sea control can be easily achieved or maintained, particularly against state adversaries with advanced sub-surface capabilities, or indeed in areas where asymmetric swarm attack by less sophisticated opponents may be the major threat.

"To prevail, to establish the sea control needed for success, we will continue to need the ability to meet these sorts of threats with confidence and the right equipment and training."

The second example Admiral Stanhope gave yesterday in considering the utility of maritime forces was the Royal Marines landing from the sea into the Al-Faw peninsula of Iraq in 2003 as the spearhead force there.

He also spoke about the initial attacks in Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11, when Navy submarines launched cruise missile attacks on Al-Qaeda positions, while delivery of initial entry forces came courtesy of Navy carriers at sea in the Indian Ocean. He said:

"You will know by now that the Naval Service has been an enduring presence in Iraq and Afghanistan throughout, where their adaptability is widely recognised.

"The Royal Marines are as much at home in the Green Zone as they are in boarding teams in the Gulf; fleet divers are conducting bomb disposal operations alongside their Army engineer colleagues; and the Fleet Air Arm is using its maritime surveillance capabilities to track and target the Taliban, no longer free from detection as they move across the deserts. 40 Commando returns to Afghanistan in a month's time, as does 3 Commando Brigade next year.

"The Naval Service commitment endures even in this land-locked country.

"In all those examples, there has been and remains an important role for sea-based air power and our versatile amphibious forces. In fact, since the end of the Cold War, these important maritime capabilities have never been more in demand, testament to the enduring utility that these forces bring, whatever role is demanded of them."

He also said that when crises demand a response which includes a military contribution, maritime forces will inevitably be intelligence-gathering from the early stages, conducting reconnaissance covertly and improving situational awareness for other forces. He added:

"We will usually be the first to arrive and often the last to leave. We can provide a protected sea base from which to operate. We can provide mobile launch platforms for our forces . We can limit the political and military liability of operations by protecting and controlling the maritime flank.

"We can integrate with other maritime and littoral forces. We can get land forces where they need to be, and then support them: combat air support, helicopters, logistics, medical, you name it. And we are there to recover those forces too if necessary.

"And our presence in the first place, engagement without entanglement, may be a sufficient enough demonstration of intent and deterrence to prevent the need for final engagement."

Admiral Stanhope developed his theme on adaptability by talking about the Naval Service's ability and track record in working in partnership with others. He said:

"The Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary routinely operate alongside other agencies and partners, both nationally and internationally. It is what navies do. We have direct links with 35 nations in all the UK's main regions of interest, and we operate and exercise with many more, within established alliances like NATO, and beyond.

"Our contribution to the EU Naval Force mission to protect World Food Programme shipping from piracy sees us operating alongside navies from India to China, Pakistan to Singapore. You don't see military co-operation like that outside of the maritime domain.

"In the Gulf and Caribbean, we work with law enforcement agencies, national and multi-national, to intercept illegal drugs and other smuggling.

"HMS Iron Duke and HMS Cumberland, working with our partners, last year intercepted drugs worth more than £70m.

"Working in partnerships also has an important domestic dimension for us. The Royal Navy continues to safeguard the integrity of UK Territorial Waters, to provide counter-terrorism support to the Home Office, to protect shipping, ports and offshore energy platforms, undertake inspection and enforcement action on behalf of the Marine and Fisheries Agency, and conduct Search and Rescue operations around our coast.

"We are one of many contributors to the concept of UK maritime security, a team game which involves many stakeholders."

As regards the future, Admiral Stanhope said that the Naval Service remains committed to change. He added:

"We are leveraging technology and innovation to deliver against our growing range of tasks, while preserving and developing the capabilities we will need for tomorrow.

"At the same time, we are working with all of our partners, military and non-military, from the UK and further afield, to better understand what they might require of us in the future.

Summing up, he said:

"The issues, as you can appreciate, involve more than simply making a choice between land forces or carrier-based air power. It's not about tanks versus jet fighters. It is about deciding where the balance of investment should lie, judged against this country's vital national interests, and the ambition this nation sets, both for itself, and for defence and security.

"Regardless of where or how we fight, our focus must inevitably always be the same: defence of the realm, security of our people and the protection of the national interest.

"In the final analysis, we need to be prepared for whatever the future might throw at us.

"The Navy is prepared, and is delivering, every day. I believe that maritime forces also have a vital role to play in delivering this country's defence and security into the future, in delivering choices for the Government, as much as in delivering firepower when required."