UK will stay ahead of Putin to ‘secure the underwater battle space’, Royal Navy chief says
Royal Navy chief vows that UK will ‘stay ahead of Russia’
- The Royal Navy is launching a new multi-million-pound initiative called Atlantic Bastion to secure the underwater battle space against Russian threats.
- Atlantic Bastion will be a hybrid naval force, combining AI and autonomous vehicles with traditional warships and aircraft to protect Britain's undersea cables and pipelines.
- First Sea Lord Sir Gwyn Jenkins stated the Royal Navy is 'stretched' but aims to 'stay ahead' of Russia, which is modernising its fleet to target critical subsea infrastructure.
- Defence Secretary John Healey described the force as 'highly advanced' for detecting, deterring, and defeating threats, following recent damage to Baltic Sea cables and Russian spy ship activity.
- The project has an initial £14m investment for development, and the UK is also partnering with Norway to form a combined naval fleet specifically for tracking Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.