The Aporia · Rebuild the Navy or we are all sunk: UK must strengthen its war-fighting readiness or face defeat to Russia, force's First Sea Lord warns

Mark Nicol

24 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Last night, former SAS CO Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams said: ‘From the outside this appears to be yet another unnecessary and mishandled military police investigation initiated not because of serious concerns, but merely as a self-serving public relations exercise by London-based and distant headquarters staff, miles from combat. ‘The intervention appears to have been designed to demonstrate an enhanced, but highly performative, degree of ‘transparency and control to a Panorama-triggered Whitehall and in ways that understandably undermine SAS confidence in an increasingly politicised chain of command.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · SAS Commanding Officer hounded by military police following legitimate killing of an ISIS terrorist

🔮 MPs found critical shortages of Royal Navy warships could allow Russia to plunder the High North for its energy resources and to control shipping routes.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Glaring military 'gaps' in 'hostile' High North are leaving UK vulnerable to Russian subs and sabotage, report

🔮 The Royal Navy is expected to retire eight warships over five years, fuelling fears of fresh gaps in Britain's maritime defences.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Eight Royal Navy warships 'are set to retire by 2031' - fuelling fresh fears of gaps in Britain's defences

🔮 Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said today: 'RAF Typhoon aircraft will conduct defensive counter-air operations over Saudi Arabia, helping to protect Saudi cities, civilian populations and critical national infrastructure from Houthi attack.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · RAF fighter jets set to be used to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi aerial attacks

🔮 Furious former top brass and MPs also criticised the scheduling, claiming crucial amendments would not be assessed effectively.

2026-10-19 · mixed framing · Labour ministers are accused of betrayal over the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill

🔮 General Sir Roly Walker revealed how the UK responds to threats will be laid out in a ‘frank discussion’ between political leaders and citizens.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Britain faces a 'frank conversation' over 'sacrifices' needed to defend the nation, warns Army chief in wake up call to Labour

🔮 Less spending [will be] part of the new pressures that you will have from different sources.'

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Don't raise taxes, slash spending to fund forces, Burnham is warned

🔮 Mr Streeting had earlier announced that a defence investment summit, promised earlier this year as part of the Government’s defence investment plan, would take place on December 1.

2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Red tape forced Royal Marine to test underwater drone in his own garden pond, Defence Secretary reveals

🔮 Leading from the front, SAS officer Richard Williams and his assault team 'pepper-potted' uphill across 50 metres of open ground – one taking a knee and providing covering fire for the others to dash forward.

2026-10-09 · assertive framing · How Whitehall penpushers obsessed with human rights stabbed the SAS in the back in Afghanistan: MARK NICOL

🔮 While defence spending has risen since the last election - from 2.3 to 2.7 per cent of GDP - the Government has failed to set out how it will reach targets such as 3 per cent of GDP by 2030 and the essential Nato benchmark of 3.5 per cent by 2035.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Tories' 'iron dome' proposal gets a vote of approval... from a Labour peer

Also by Mark Nicol

SAS Commanding Officer hounded by military police following legitimate killing of an ISIS terrorist

2026-10-23 · Daily Mail

Glaring military 'gaps' in 'hostile' High North are leaving UK vulnerable to Russian subs and sabotage, report

2026-10-21 · Daily Mail

Eight Royal Navy warships 'are set to retire by 2031' - fuelling fresh fears of gaps in Britain's defences

2026-10-20 · Daily Mail

RAF fighter jets set to be used to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi aerial attacks

2026-10-20 · Daily Mail

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 24 articles by Mark Nicol →

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source The head of the Royal Navy has warned Britain faces defeat at sea against Russia without more warships and drones. asserted

Britain → see → warships

First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has previously cautioned that Britain is 'at risk' of losing its naval advantage to Vladimir Putin's maritime forces. asserted

Britain → caution → forces

Last night, however, he told a private audience the country needs to 'strengthen our war-fighting readiness' and 'rediscover what it means to be a maritime nation... if we are to prevail in the Atlantic again'. asserted

we → tell → Atlantic

As the Daily Mail has revealed, our once world-beating Navy has been devastated by spending cuts. asserted

Navy → reveal → cuts

It is not only smaller than at any time in its history but most of the ships and submarines that remain are unavailable to deploy. asserted

that → remain → ships

In May this year, we revealed how the frigate fleet has been reduced to just five after the retirement of HMS Iron Duke. uncertain

fleet → reveal → Duke

The warship was withdrawn from service for technical reasons just three years after a £103million refit. asserted

warship → withdraw → refit

To add to that, on numerous occasions this year the Royal Navy's entire fleet of hunter-killer submarines has been stuck in port unable to sail – leaving Britain at risk from Putin. asserted

fleet → add → Putin

And when RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was hit by an Iranian-made drone in March, the destroyer HMS Dragon took three weeks to reach the island. asserted

destroyer → hit → island

First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins(pictured) , has previously cautioned that Britain is 'at risk' of losing its naval advantage to Vladimir Putin's maritime forces UK submarines have also been completing record-breaking patrols of more than 200 days at sea due to the shortage of available vessels. asserted

submarines → jenkins(picture → vessels

Such epic voyages have become 'the new normal', according to Navy insiders. uncertain

voyages → become → insiders

Addressing a private event at Admiralty House in Whitehall, General Sir Gwyn was reported as saying: 'The greatest threat to our security today is Russia. ' asserted

threat → address → security

Russia retains advanced submarines that are increasingly difficult to track, long-range precision weapons and specialist systems designed to operate deep under water. asserted

that → retain → water

Russia is probing, testing and mapping. asserted

Russia → probe → ?

'It seeks advantage in the grey zone, particularly around the critical undersea infrastructure on which modern societies rely. ' asserted

societies → seek → which

Churchill attached such significance to the Atlantic because he understood something important. asserted

he → attach → something

Sea power not only sustained us during the war. asserted

power → sustain → war

It arguably saved us. asserted

It → save → us

Lose the war at sea and you lose the war. asserted

you → lose → war

That was the warning of Admiral Pound, the First Sea Lord of the day, and it remains true now. asserted

it → remain → day

Yet despite the Russian threat, the Royal Navy, like the Army and Royal Air Force, is suffering a budget reduction. asserted

Navy → suffer → reduction

The services were ordered by Defence Secretary Wes Streeting to find £3billion in 'efficiencies' in this financial year. asserted

services → order → year

The Army must save £1.2billion, leaving the Navy and RAF to shave off £1.8billion. asserted

Army → save → 1.8billion

Russian advances into UK waters have risen by a third in the past two years, forcing the threat posed by the Kremlin to dictate defence priorities in this country. asserted

advances → rise → country

The defence spending crisis has triggered furious criticism from former military chiefs and opposition MPs. asserted

crisis → trigger → chiefs

While Mr Streeting has insisted other areas of public expenditure are 'valueless' if Britain is left defenceless, Andy Burnham has claimed national security cannot come at the expense of social security. asserted

security → insist → security

The Daily Mail's Don't Leave Britain Defenceless campaign has pushed successive governments for a rise in military cash. asserted

campaign → leave → cash

Within the budget constraints, General Sir Gwyn is introducing hundreds of uncrewed systems to support surface and subsurface fleets, focusing on drones to operate from aircraft carriers, frigates, destroyers and submarines. asserted

Gwyn → introduce → carriers

Rebuild the Navy or we are all sunk: UK must strengthen its war-fighting readiness or face defeat to Russia, force's First Sea Lord warns

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