No Submarine Command Course has taken place since November 2025, and the Royal Navy schedules the course to maintain sufficient suitably qualified personnel to meet defence requirements, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked for the reason no course had run since then, following up an answer given on 16 October.
Calvin Bailey, the Minister for Veterans and People, said: “The Royal Navy schedules the Submarine Command Course to maintain sufficient suitably qualified personnel to meet Defence requirements.”
The Submarine Command Course, known throughout the service as Perisher, is the qualifying course for command of a British submarine. Candidates who pass take command appointments; those who fail leave the submarine service and, by tradition, leave the boat immediately. It is run by the Submarine Command Course Teacher, a serving officer who holds that post, and combines attack training in simulators with sea phases against surface ships.
Royal Navy submarine availability has been under scrutiny for some time, with the Defence Committee reporting this month that it is not clear the attack submarine force is putting to sea as often as it should, and ministers declining to put availability figures on the public record.
