If you thought the era of British sea control — of Horatio Nelson and powerful naval task forces — was forever over, think again.
On Monday, British defense secretary Gavin Williamson unveiled a bold new blueprint for how Britain intends to rule the waves once more. Designed to mitigate any loss of British foreign policy influence in the aftermath of its withdrawal from the European Union at the end of March 2019, Williamson’s plan focuses on complementing the U.S. military in deterring, and if necessary, defeating, peer adversary threats from China and Russia.
The core of the new plan is Britain’s ability to form and deploy a major amphibious task force in the event of looming war. This would center around Britain’s two new aircraft carriers: HMS Queen Elizabeth (likely fully operational later this year/2020) and HMS Prince of Wales (likely fully operational in 2022/2023). With their carrier air wings of F-35 strike fighters, these carriers will contest high-capability enemies in a way that no other nation can, save the U.S.
But that U.S. comparison speaks to a broader point here, because Williamson also recognizes that Britain’s power is best served by greater synergy with the U.S. military.
As a result, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s inaugural operational deployment will involve a transit proximate to the contested waters of the South China Sea. And, in an unusual move, the carrier air wing will host a U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadron. This, Williamson says, is about “Enhancing the reach and lethality of our forces and reinforcing the fact that the United States remains our very closest of partners. We share the same vision of the world. A world shaped by individual liberty, the rule of law, and, of course the tolerance of others.”
But Britain’s new naval strategy isn’t just built around aircraft carriers. It’s equally focused on the aircraft carrier’s escort vessels. After all, those escorts will include Britain’s Daring-class destroyers and its Astute-class attack submarines. That matters because the Daring-class are the world’s most advanced fleet air-defense destroyers. Armed with the extremely advanced Sea Viper track-kill system, these vessels could defend against Chinese or Russian long-range missile saturation strikes against an allied fleet.
In that regard, the British wouldn’t simply complement U.S. forces here but fill in a gap for them. When it comes to China, the U.S. Navy remains far too arrogant about its carrier strike group vulnerability.
What of the Astute-class submarines? Well, they run very quietly and possess highly advanced sonar capabilities. Along with U.S. Virginia-class attack submarines, they could sneak into an enemy’s backyard and create havoc.
But there’s more: Britain also plans to develop littoral strike ships embarked with Royal Marine commandos. These would complement the U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary units. It’s worth noting here that Britain is also considering establishing a new naval base in the Pacific region.
Put simply, this is a plan that is both realistic, thanks to recent British defense spending increases, and potent in strategic terms. Unapologetic about strengthening the U.S. alliance, it shows the special relationship is set to flourish for years to come. At least, that is, unless Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister.
