The Council on Geostrategy’s maritime magazine The Broadside has highlighted a new article from The Signal, William Freer’s monthly newsletter, examining the United Kingdom’s recent progress in naval exports, deployments, and industrial recovery.
In the latest edition, Freer argues that after decades of underinvestment, Britain’s shipbuilding industry is beginning to show tangible results. He points to the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the recapitalisation of the Royal Navy’s fleet as overdue but now producing dividends.
Freer writes that export success has been central to this revival, with the Type 26 frigate design selected by Canada and Australia, and the Type 31 exported to Indonesia and Poland. Together, these agreements will see 26 British-designed ships built abroad, often with British components.
The breakthrough, he notes, came in August when Norway announced its choice of the Type 26 for a £10 billion programme, with the ships to be built on the Clyde. “These five warships will be the first escorts a British shipyard has built to a foreign order since Argentina ordered Type 42s in 1970,” he observed, calling it the end of a “damning 55-year hiatus.”
The article also surveys Royal Navy activity, including the reassembly of Carrier Strike Group 2025 in East Asia, the continuation of towed array patrol duties, and evidence of Astute-class submarine operations.
Freer’s central message is that Britain’s recent progress demonstrates the dividends of even modest investment. He argues that “if Britain can get such dividends from these tentative steps towards remembering its maritime strategic culture, imagine what it could do if it applied itself with more vigour.”
The full article can be read on The Broadside, the Council on Geostrategy’s online magazine of maritime affairs produced in cooperation with the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre. Readers can find out more and sign up here.
“maritme revival” ??
I think you can argue that. A work in progress obviously but if you look where the UK is heading (still scope to mess it up) but we are the only western nation seriously building ships (except maybe the ford class) in all classes. Even the US has gone a little quiet.
The first T26 and T31 will be an interesting test. If these ships perform well on trials it would make sense for many NATO nations (and beyond) to simply buy their naval needs from British yards. Those countries (especially Europe) can then focus on Tanks, Aircraft etc. giving the UK the ability to buy off the shelf in more places.
We also have carriers which are inexpensive compared to the americans and submarines.
looking good for the future (potentially).
Revival? Seriously? 🤣 The navy is reduced to an all time low number of vessels. Revival? 🤣
Yes but how do we compare to other countries. We started from a higher base. However our Carrier fleet is the best on Europe? Submarines Best? Escorts best or will be in a few years?
We are picking up orders because we are the only game in town and because we have the best designs.
Best? Some british subs could not sail last year or have been repaired with glue.
True, but that is a consequence of years of not bothering to build any new ships. If you compare the level of activity in the yards now with a decade ago then ‘revival’ seems an appropriate description.
Yes at present it’s a naval shipbuilding bump after a massive sustained slump..
“the dividends of even modest investment” is presumably an observation of the fact that the amount of ‘bang for your buck’ increases as the magnitude of your absolute spend does, due to the inevitability of economies of scale. Then there’s the fact that there’s a limit to how much capabilities can be salami-sliced before they cease to be viable. We got way past that point and so MOD has had no option but to meet its irreducible obligations badly instead (e.g. classing ships as ‘in reserve’ when they are effectively scrap). Increasing spending closer to the point that it is adequate to fund the bare minimum defence commitments properly will obviously result in a big qualitative gain- i.e. the difference between ‘works’ and ‘doesn’t work’.
If we can scale up meet Norway’s order whilst accelerating our own perhaps we can become the go to place in Europe for military ships.
People often forget there is a difference between maritime and naval and that naval is just one small part of maritime.. the Uk has invigorated one part of the naval element of maritime and that is shipbuilding..but even that is yet to be on a sustained footing.
For the UK to have a maritime revival it would need
1) a massive increase in merchant shipbuilding giving it a useful share in the global market ( say 10-20% )
2) a significant increase in port and goods handling as well as buying stakes and development of ports in other nations
3) a flagged and owned significant merchant marine ( say 10-20% of global)
4) a global strategic vision around how it will develop and explore/exploit maritime resources and markets
5) development of a significant global naval presence ( so 40+ escorts 12-20 SSNs and a auxiliary force that could sustain them globally).
So yes building a load of frigates over 2 decades is nice but it’s no renaissance of MARITIME power.
With only three amphibious ships, virtually no supply vessels, and only 14 escorts, a maritime renaissance? Ja ja ja ja.
Exciting times. It’s good to inject some positivity into the debate as opposed to withering criticism.