The Royal Navy could be asked to take a leading role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but a new analysis warns the service is already “stretched to breaking point”, raising questions over how much it can realistically deploy.
Writing for the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Dr Emma Salisbury, a Non-Resident Senior Fellow in its National Security Program and Associate Fellow at the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, said Britain would bring “considerable expertise” to any multinational effort, particularly in mine countermeasures, but warned capacity is a growing concern.
The proposed “Hormuz Coalition” would aim to secure one of the world’s most contested waterways, where threats from mines, drones, missiles and fast attack craft remain acute, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer cautioning that reopening the strait is “not a simple task” and would require broad international support.
Salisbury notes that while the Royal Navy has deep experience in the Gulf, including operations during the Iran-Iraq “Tanker War” and later conflicts, its current posture is far more constrained, with no permanent naval presence following the recent withdrawal of the last ship from Bahrain.
Recent incidents underline the limits of that approach, with HMS Montrose close enough to hear communications during the 2019 seizure of the tanker Stena Impero but unable to intervene in time, highlighting the gap between presence and protection.
She writes that the fleet is now “qualitatively capable, quantitatively stretched to breaking point”, as commitments across the North Atlantic, High North and home waters compete with potential requirements in the Gulf.
The situation is compounded by delays to the Defence Investment Plan, which is meant to turn the government’s accepted Strategic Defence Review into funded programmes, but has yet to appear amid reports of a significant funding gap. Without that clarity, Salisbury argues, the UK risks committing to operations without the capacity to sustain them, even as it retains strengths in areas such as air defence, anti-submarine warfare and maritime security.
The central issue, she suggests, is no longer identifying what needs to be done, but whether the government is willing to fund it.
We shouldn’t be trying to fix what the Pedophile-In-Chief has broken. British servicemen shouldn’t be sacrificed to save Trump’s ass.
Putting that aside for the moment, what would be the Royal Navy’s response if something happened in the Falklands or Diego Garcia, or Gibraltar?
NIL. It’s np longer possible.
DG, we’d give to them and pay for it…
Gibraltar, anything for a youth movement scheme.
Falklands, anything to make Daddy Trump happy for his Mini-Me in Argentina.
And what do you think is going to happen to Gibraltar?
Stretch to the limit, but what are we going to do about it, we are British, we will do absolutely nothing until it is too late.
John Healey is in Saudi Arabia presumably discussing what we propose to do.
We’ve got naff all to send so its all a pointless discussion.
Send HMS Indefensible the latest in stealth ships.
No he will be there to try and flog them more typhoons and type 26s!😁
It’s beyond me why anyone thinks we should be doing this. We should send a MCM unit on a Bay class and a single T45. Let the rest of the world get of its arse for once and come and help.
The UK can lead such a force without contributing all the ships.
MV Hartland Point is currently in Gibraltar, MV Hurst Point is in the Med off Cyprus, RFA Proteus is in Gibraltar.
It’s beyond me why anyone thinks we should be doing this. We should send a MCM unit on a Bay class and a single T45. Let the rest of the world get of its arse for once and come and help.
The UK can lead such a force without contributing all the ships.
I would really love to know from these commentators that bang on about the lack of permanent UK presence in the gulf where exactly they think that permanent presence would have been if it’s still there.
If we still had ships there then they would be trapped and an open target for Iranian missiles and drones. The US pulled its warships out as well at the same time as us.
Yup, lets make the UK do everything because our leaders hate the word NO.
Strange but I seem to remember Keir Starmer saying ‘No’ to Trump; now what’s your point?
The Royal Navy is on the verge of disarmament, except for its aircraft carriers and submarines, so I don’t think any of them will remain unsold within a few years. It’s true that disarmament has been underway for many years, but this government is going to break records and won’t order a single additional ship, aircraft, or tank. Its task is to disarm the country, and it’s accelerating its mission. When the acquisition program is published, it will likely focus more on retirements and sales.
8 T26s, and 5 T31s and 2 more Astute boats are in build and to be delivered, and T45 upgrades. I’d hardly call that disarming.
Far too late to protect UK interests in the collapsing world order.
30 years of arrogant disdainful snooty UK Parliaments, and general staff more interested in protecting their pension pots.
I’d just call it an over reliance on the Americans. And a failure to realise regeneration defence doesn’t happen overnight. We aren’t the only ones to have cut back to much. People want more NHS spending etc, And governments know defence isn’t a vote winner. 100,000 people don’t protest down Whitehall when defence cuts have been announced. Add in huge debt after the 2008 financial crisis, Brexit, COVID. And its easy to see why defence spending hasn’t been the priority it always should have been. We should never have dropped below 2.5% is an absolute peacetime minimum for a nation of our standing in the world. I’d have it written in law that no party can undo.
UK has no business in intervening to open international waters from Iran. UK should respect human rights and intervening will open UK to persecution in international courts.
As we can see by UN, International Court, NGO’s and media silence, Iran has the right to control international waters………
Iran is an enemy of the United Kingdom and has even been involved in attacks on British soil. So, as far as I’m concerned, let it fall. It’s another thing entirely that the clown Trump has gotten himself into a mess and wants others to get him out of it, but I certainly will never defend the criminal Iranian regime.
Where 2+2=5, I think the Norgies firming up their finances to buy 5 T26, actually helps the PIP get published because the costs of the UK T26 can be spread over a longer period and instead MoD operating costs can be defrayed because you have that spare£800,000 – to a £Bn/ship, in the accounts; it also allows the BAE yard to operate for longer before the necessity of the T83 needs to come on line, after all the T45s can not be knackered given all their time alongside and their systems can be upgraded: a win/win for the Govt and Defence.
Of course, my maths are terrible and people might disagree with me.
At breaking point with not a real stress in sight. Frankly, the RN was at breaking point just operating at a peace time tempo.
Punishable complacency, if you ask me. Those responsible (some of whom are still in British politics) should have their pensions withdrawn.
An unspeakable state indeed.