The UK was unable to protect its allies in the Gulf when fighting with Iran initially broke out earlier this year because, while it held bases across the region, it had few if any ships in them, a peer has told the House of Lords, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The claim was made by the Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey during an oral question on whether the government intends to establish a permanent military presence in the Gulf to protect allies and ensure freedom of navigation, answered by the Minister of State for Defence, Lord Coaker, on 4 June 2026.
Lord Empey argued that the events at the start of the year had exposed a hollow presence. “Even though we may have bases, largely there are certainly no vessels within them,” he said. “We were not capable of providing protection to our allies in that area; indeed, we were not even capable of properly protecting our own bases in Cyprus.” He asked whether this was not “illustrative of a long-term, decades-long decline in our capabilities”, and what the long-term consequences would be for the UK’s standing in the region when it had been unable to come to the aid of close and long-standing allies.
In response, Lord Coaker did not dispute the picture of limited naval presence, instead setting out the support the UK had provided by other means. He said he had met the ambassadors or defence attachés of Middle East countries almost every week to discuss their needs. “As a consequence of their answers, we have provided further fighter jets, drone capabilities, radar and anti-air defensive capabilities, so we have done a significant amount of work already,” he said, adding that there were 1,000 British service personnel across the region and that those countries had been very appreciative of the support.
Pressed later by the Liberal Democrat Baroness Smith of Newnham on whether he could tell allies categorically that the UK had the naval capabilities to give them reassurance, or whether the Treasury needed to be pushed to move further and faster, Lord Coaker said discussions with the Treasury continued.
Nice of Lord Empey to finally wake up, this has been the order of play for decades, so no harm in as much publicity as possible in exposing the decline in our conventional forces, so I applaud him for that.
But, I also ask why it is beholden on us to “protect them” some of these nations have bigger armed forces now than we do?
While the Lords belief is true, as is the decline in our forces, I also suspect by his wording that he does not understand how our armed forces work, and seems to want our bases crammed with Frigates ready to come out and fight. A Bay, 4 MCMV, and a regionally based elderly T23 had been our lot for some time. The Armilla Patrol of at least 3 Escorts is long, long gone, courtesy of successive governments.
The bases we have in the Middle East are also not the sorts we will home port RN vessels, bar the Naval Support Facility, they are training areas, logistic sites and intelligence sites, there to enable expeditionary assets to deploy if needed, not to be permanently stationed.
Duqm, Oman: Is the UK Joint Logistic Support Base. It can take a QEC if needed, but I have never heard of any plans to base assets there.
UK Naval Support Facility, Bahrain: Also called HMS Juffair by some.
Ras Madrakah, Oman: A training area, part of what the MoD are now spinning as “Global Hub Oman.”
Then you have RAF sites, no ships in those, on the facilities of the host nations, not “our” bases.
Al Udeid, Qatar: HQ of 83 EAG, and 901 EAW.
RAFO Musannah, Oman: 902 EAW.
Al Minhad, UAE: 906 EAW.
These EAW are Framework organisations with no planes of their own, but have deployed ones as needed. Al Minhad has a recently built facility called “Donnelly Lines.”
GCHQ also has at least 3 sites in the region.
Well we did hit net zero…..zero ready to deploy naval response……
One of the reasons people buy weapons from the UK is that we have gold standard tech and have historically provided an umbrella to our allies. Increasingly we cannot afford to buy the best of what we sell and when we buy it that is in tiny numbers. so it is something of an ironic joke now.
A lot of people have not really believed how bad the RN situation was. RN PR was very much supported by ’82 and cold war achievements. It was masked by statements along the lines of we would deploy XY assets if it was time of war. That has been exposed for the sham that it is by actual events where we had one fully serviceable and one almost serviceable T45 for the roles.
Most foreign defence experts are agog at the level of cuts with constant scrapping and jam tomorrow.
at out brake of hostility’s in Gulf. Wouldn’t the RN have of dispersed any RN ships along side in Port out of Gulf into Gulf of Oman to protect them from damage from Iranian forces. 14 years of Tory Government Cuts & Austerity to UK military. UK ship yards full of RN New ships being built or fitting out & faster than usual. The RN just needs more frontline Ships and Submarines. Aircraft etc. UK Shipyards being modernised with new kit fast to build RN Ships. UK is exporting new warships too. Harland & Wolff is one ship yard that is being modernised & brought into 21st century, They are building Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships & want more RN orders. All on Labours 2 years in office.