Conclusion 9

Measured against its own military requirements, the Ministry of Defence has a serious anti-submarine warfare gap. Towed array sonar-equipped frigates are central to detecting and tracking hostile submarines in the High North, the North Atlantic and UK waters, including around the UK’s nuclear deterrent bases. Reducing the fleet to five such vessels against a requirement for eight weakens the UK’s ability to respond to the Russian 45 submarine and underwater sabotage threat and raises questions about whether the transition from the Type 23 to the Type 26 frigate capability has been properly managed. (Conclusion, Paragraph 73)