Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted in Part
In a heightened threat scenario, we are uncertain about the Royal Navy’s ability to protect...
Conclusion
In a heightened threat scenario, we are uncertain about the Royal Navy’s ability to protect vulnerable cable regions and escort repair ships without undermining commitments to other NATO tasks. We admire the Minister for Armed Forces’ optimism that the problem can be solved with Atlantic Bastion’s future set of autonomous vessels and monitoring systems. We think there are still quite a few questions to address. (Conclusion, Paragraph 146)
Government Response Summary
The government partially agreed with the Committee's concerns, stating it is investing in new capabilities such as underwater drones, autonomous sensors, and new ships under the 'Atlantic Bastion' concept to augment the Royal Navy's ability to protect vulnerable cable regions. It also noted existing routine escorting exercises are conducted and reviewed.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government partially agrees this recommendation. We agree that escorting ships is an important task, and needs to be prioritised against other NATO tasking, and we routinely review our rules of engagement to ensure these are relevant to respond to the threats we face. We are investing in new capabilities, such as underwater drones, to augment existing capabilities and offer a wider variety of options to respond to taskings. The ‘Atlantic Bastion’ concept, which is outlined in the Strategic Defence Review, will see a rapid growth in new capabilities, including a fleet of autonomous underwater sensors, to persistently and silently patrol the UK’s waters of interest. This will be augmented by drones, which can be used for more localised detection, and a new class of ships, optimised as a fleet of autonomy command platforms, will be introduced in the coming years. This also supports long-term growth in shipbuilding. On exercising, we partially agree. The Royal Navy already conducts routine live escorting exercises and has the capability to support a wide range of civilian vessels, including cable repair ships, in contested environments. This training is frequently reviewed to integrate emerging requirements into existing planned training.