The Ministry of Defence has declined to provide a breakdown of the operational status of Royal Navy frigates, destroyers and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, citing security constraints but pointing MPs to newly released readiness data that offers the most detailed snapshot yet of the fleet’s condition.
In two written answers to Conservative MP Richard Holden, Defence Minister Luke Pollard repeated that the MoD does not publish vessel-by-vessel readiness or long-term schedule information. He argued that availability must be understood as a rolling cycle.
Pollard told Parliament that “around 50 percent of the fleet [is] at high readiness or above at any one time”, and noted that the surface fleet currently stands at 53 ships, with the RFA operating 10.
He also highlighted the ongoing transition from ageing platforms to newer classes. The MoD, he said, is “replacing our Type 23 Frigates with eight of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare ships, the Type 26 Frigates,” with five Type 31s to follow.
Although the minister did not give Holden the granular breakdown he requested, the answer directed MPs to the Defence Committee’s publication of the Royal Navy’s six-monthly readiness-days data. The release includes a ministerial letter and an annex detailing readiness trends across 2024 and 2025.
The documents show significant variation across categories. Type 23 frigates saw a rise in readiness days in early 2025, driven by improved maintenance performance, while destroyer readiness fell sharply due to the high operational tempo in the Red Sea and multiple units undergoing unplanned defect rectification. Littoral Strike readiness dropped as RFA Argus, and the Bay-class ships, entered docking or defect repair. Afloat Support readiness improved due to Operation Highmast, which saw extensive deployment of Tide-class vessels.
The narrative accompanying the data also warns that crew shortfalls continue to affect the RFA’s ability to hold units at readiness.
Pollard stressed that the navy’s long-term fleet plan remains intact, saying the transition programme is designed to protect priority outputs into the 2030s. “The Royal Navy continues to modernise its fleet,” he said, while reaffirming that operational commitments are still being met.
The full readiness-days dataset, including the ministerial correspondence and readiness tables, is available via the Defence Committee’s publication read the document here.
There really needs to be a review of situations where security concerns is used as an excuse to hide data from the public.
Any enemy that we are likely to face that would need to know the info will have it. There are thousands of dock workers, sailors, civil servants and some very old public sector computer networks. It’s not possible that an organised enemy could not get the info out of that if needed. Meaning the only security concern is the public becoming aware and getting annoyed by it.
Ok this government hasn’t had a chance to fix the issues inherited, and don’t want to take the blame for it, but still.
We are where we are. What can be done is being done – T45 upgrades, T26 and T31 programs, AUKUS subs, FSS, MRSS all protected. In the short term the T45s and the Rivers can cover for GP frigates but not the ASW frigates. 🤞 the T26s arrive sooner rather than later. Maybe the T31s for which construction has not started can be fitted with an ASW sonar?
For me UK GBAD and capabilities like Brakestop, Nightfall and the 2000km missile are priorities.