Defence UK 'PRO PATRIA' Journal Volume 3 (Web)

PRO
PATRIA
Journal of Defence UK
2021 Volume 3
Remembering
HRH The Duke
of Edinburgh
The UK-France
Defence
Relationship
The National
Flagship – a
Missed Opportunity?
Volume 3 | 2021 PRO PATRIA – Journal of Defence UK
Contents
Editorial ........................................................................................................................................................ 2
By Andrew Smith
Ten years after Lancaster House, what next for

the UK-France defence relationship? A new Entente Cordiale ............................................ 4
By Dr André Adamson
The ‘National Flagship’ – a missed opportunity? ......................................................................12

By Kevin Slade
DEFENCE UK – AN INTRODUCTION Defence & Scottish Independence...................................................................................................18

By Steve Coltman
Defence UK was formed in 2007 as the United Kingdom National Defence Association
(UKNDA) to make the case for increased investment in defence, at a time when Exemplary service to Crown and Country:
the UK’s Armed Forces – then engaged in two major conflicts – were chronically Remembering HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) ......................................................22
underfunded and overstretched. Led by Founder-CEO Cdr John Muxworthy RN, a By Dr Sarah Ingham
veteran of the 1982 Falklands conflict, and founder-President Winston S. Churchill,
Expeditionary deployments and warfare:
grandson of Britain’s wartime leader, the UKNDA set about building a nationwide
The historical justification for a forward-based defence ..................................................... 30
association to provide an effective and independent voice for the nation’s military,
veterans and the wider defence community. By holding conferences and public By Fred Dupuy
events, publishing a series of reports and commentaries, lobbying MPs, writing Op. Granby 1990-91: Some observations on the role
articles and broadcasting, the UKNDA has kept up a constant pressure on those in and importance of ‘Force Information’ in the Gulf War ....................................................... 44
power, opposing defence cuts and highlighting threats to national security.
By Lt Cdr Nigel Huxtable RN
Now, in 2021, the UK’s forces are no longer committed to extended military
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there are still numerous threats to national Civil Resilience – the daughter of Civil Defence...................................................................... 50
and international security, from a range of terrorist networks and rogue states, By Jock McCody
leaving our borders, shipping, energy supply and trade routes all at risk. Despite
Contributors to this Issue ...................................................................................................................55
the growing threats, there are glaring holes in our nation’s military capabilities, and
our Armed Services are seriously depleted by ill-conceived cuts to the defence
budget, by successive governments, leaving the UK increasingly vulnerable in a
dangerous world. Defence funding has been a victim of political short-termism and
the austerity agenda. There is an urgent need to bring renewed pressure to bear on
the UK government and parliament, to significantly boost resourcing for the Royal
Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. In particular, we argue for an increase in the defence
budget to at least 3% of UK GDP.
All contributions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of Defence UK.
Our association, under its new name Defence UK, continues to campaign vigorously
© PRO PATRIA is the Journal of Defence UK and all material published here is the copyright of Defence UK unless otherwise stated.
on behalf of Britain’s Armed Forces, providing serving and retired military personnel
Front Cover Image: HMS Queen Elizabeth berthed at a jetty in Augusta, Sicily, during the Carrier Strike Group
with an effective voice and seeking to make the case for strong national defence and
Deployment 2021. The image shows a deck-edge aircraft lift, which is used to transfer aircraft between the
a properly-resourced military. Our journal, Pro Patria, exists to stimulate debate and hangar and the flight decks. The chain-driven lift can take a Chinook helicopter with rotor blades extended
discussion on all matters of UK defence and security. or two F-35B aircraft, a 70-ton load. (Crown Copyright: Ministry of Defence)
1
PRO PATRIA – Journal of Defence UK Volume 3 | 2021 Volume 3 | 2021 PRO PATRIA – Journal of Defence UK
Editorial The funeral service in St

George’s Chapel also gave
great prominence to military
As the nation gradually recovers from the trauma of the Covid-19 musicians, and, as with the
pandemic and seizes the opportunities open to us in the post- works performed by the
lockdown era, it is important that we remember and honour the Massed Bands outside, every
hundreds of thousands of Britons who died during the last year, tune used in the chapel had
whether or not they were taken from us by the Chinese virus. been specially selected by
Among those lost to us in 2020-21 were many of ‘the greatest the Duke himself. A particular
generation’, those who came through World War II and whose highlight, towards the end of
legacy of stoicism and self-sacrifice has shaped our nation and the service, was Pipe Major
our lives. We think, in particular, of the inspirational Captain Peter Grant of The Highlanders
Sir Tom Moore, late of the Yorkshire Regiment, who in the last playing the haunting ‘Flowers
months of his life raised millions of pounds for NHS charities; of of the Forest’ on the bagpipes,
the redoubtable Dame Vera Lynn, whose songs during wartime followed by the Buglers of
and for decades afterwards lifted our spirits and gave us hope for the future; and, the Royal Marines sounding
perhaps most of all, of His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, our ‘The Last Post’ and the State
Trumpeters of the Household Prince Philip’s funeral cortège at Windsor Castle, 17 April 2021
Queen’s steadfast consort. Indeed, the Duke’s passing, aged 99, was widely seen as
‘the end of an era’, symbolic of the passing of an entire generation, and his funeral Cavalry ‘Reveille’. Finally, the Royal Marine buglers sounded ‘Action Stations’ – this was
at Windsor Castle was far more than ‘a Royal occasion’; it was the nation’s heartfelt a specific request from the Duke of Edinburgh, and he would no doubt have been all
farewell to Britain’s wartime generation. too familiar with this call from his WW2 service in the Royal Navy.
The funeral, on 17 April 2021, was an appropriately solemn, dignified and, indeed, The military flavour of His Royal Highness’s funeral was, of course, not unexpected.
beautiful occasion, but it was also a powerful reminder of Prince Philip’s Naval career, While all members of The Royal Family have strong connections with the Royal Navy,
his military connections, and the central role that the Armed Forces play in the public Army and RAF, and while many Royal and State occasions involve the military in one
life of the nation. While the ceremony had been pared down from the planned event, way or another, the Duke of Edinburgh’s links to the Forces were always especially
because of Covid restrictions and social-distancing, we still saw hundreds of military close – starting, as they had, when he became a cadet at Britannia Royal Naval College,
personnel, from all three Services, marching through Windsor Great Park and on Dartmouth, in 1939, just short of his eighteenth birthday – and the Duke’s funeral had
parade in the castle quadrangle to salute the late Duke on his final journey. Led by to reflect his remarkable eight decades of military service. As Sarah Ingham writes in
the Bands of the Grenadier and Scots Guards, with soldiers of the Coldstream and this issue of Pro Patria, Prince Philip had always taken his many military responsibilities
Welsh Guards, the Life Guards and Blues & Royals lining the quadrangle, the Household over the decades extremely seriously, and had given time and genuine commitment to
Division were at the centre of the day’s events, together with a combined Tri-Service all of them, whether as Captain General of the Royal Marines, Colonel of the Grenadier
Band comprising military musicians from Her Majesty’s Corps of Royal Marines, the Guards, or Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps, and any one of dozens
Royal Air Force, and from The Rifles (who provided the special Guard of Honour Band, of other such roles. But in fulfilling all these duties, it was Her Majesty The Queen that
the Duke having been the regiment’s Colonel-in-Chief for 13 years). Prince Philip sought to serve. Never did his sense of duty waiver. It was noted by Huw
Edwards of the BBC, in his commentary of the Duke’s funeral, that, with the coffin being
Military pageantry and military music were at the heart of this most British of occasions
carried ahead of Her Majesty, this was something of a first, as ‘after a lifetime of keeping
– and surely there can have been no more fitting way to mark the passing of Her
two paces behind the Queen, for the first and only time the Duke has taken precedence.’
Majesty’s Consort than to hear military bands of this calibre, at Windsor Castle, playing
Parry’s ‘Jerusalem’, ‘I vow to thee my country’ from Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ in his Planets Suite, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, spent his entire adult life in the service
and ‘Nimrod’ from Elgar’s Enigma Variations, perhaps three of the most emotionally- of this country – and of his Monarch. The Duke’s legacy is one of devoted service to
charged pieces of English music ever composed. Indeed, as the specially converted Crown and Country. He exemplified the military values of loyalty, duty and patriotism.
Land Rover/hearse, designed by the Duke himself, drove into the quadrangle carrying We mourn Prince Philip and ‘the greatest generation’ – but we must honour their
the Duke’s flag-draped coffin, and the massed bands brought ‘I vow to thee my memory by dedicating ourselves to following their example.
country’ to its uplifting finale, your Editor, watching this spectacle on television, admits Andrew Smith FCIJ
to having let his stiff upper lip wobble somewhat, and to having shed a tear or two! Editor, PRO PATRIA
2 3
Ten years after Lancaster House, what next

for the UK-France defence relationship?
By Dr André Adamson
A new Entente Cordiale

On 2 November 2010 Prime Minister David Cameron stood alongside President
Nicolas Sarkozy of France in the gilded splendour of Lancaster House and declared:
‘Today we open a new chapter in a long history of cooperation on defence and
security between Britain and France.’ The ceremony rounded off five months
of intensive work for the UK’s then newly-created National Security Council. The
previous month the Government had published a National Security Strategy and
a Strategic Defence and Security Review, with five-year budget settlements. Two
weeks later came Lancaster House with the signature of two treaties that reflected
the vision and drive of the two leaders. 1 That vision was not new or simply a political
expedient. In 1995 PM John Major and President Jacques Chirac President met at
Chequers and in the subsequent press conference declared that ‘the vital interests
of one could not be threatened without the vital interests of the other equally being
at risk.’ The 1998 St Malo declaration signed by Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac, in
the wake of the failure of the EU to intervene in the Kosovo conflict, signalled a
determination to develop a European military force capable of autonomous action,
catalysed by a deepening of the British and French military relationship. David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy at the Lancaster House summit in 2010
It was, however, the election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the French presidency in 2007
than the capability itself – a progressive deepening of the military to military relationship
that proved to be the game changer. Bringing France back into NATO’s Integrated
through a structured process of engagement that has included regular exercises, an
Military Structure in 2009 signalled a more pragmatic approach to cooperation with
increase in exchange and liaison officers (the biggest network for the UK outside of the
the Atlantic Alliance and between Europe’s two major military powers. The personal
US) and joint operations including Syria, Mali and the UK-led NATO Enhanced Forward
chemistry between Cameron and Sarkozy, a critical element in any international
Presence in Estonia. All this activity has ironed out many of the issues that existed a
relationship, was such that agreement was even reached on that holy of holies of
decade ago such as communications and information exchange – equally importantly,
national sovereignty for both countries – the nuclear deterrent. As a powerful signal
personal links have been established up to senior levels in both armed forces.
of their new strategic partnership they agreed to establish the Teutates project, to
build a single shared facility in France for testing the safety and reliability of UK and Progress on defence equipment cooperation has in contrast been more patchy. The
French warhead designs. This treaty, which got less attention at the time, renders the initial expectation that the UK and France could jointly develop a Future Combat Air
UK and France mutually dependent for critical aspects of their nuclear deterrence System floundered on matters around shared technologies and requirements. However
– a compelling indication of confidence that the vital national interests of the two an ambitious programme to jointly develop a Maritime Mine Counter Measures
countries will remain aligned whatever the subsequent political turbulence. capability was agreed in November 2020. This state of the art system will comprise
unmanned, remotely operated and autonomous vehicles providing the Royal Navy
Progress a decade on and Marine Nationale with world-leading capability in the detection and neutralisation
The Lancaster House Treaty is best known however for its work in strengthening of sea mines and underwater improvised explosive devices (UWIEDs). 2 Cooperation
cooperation between the two armed forces and joint procurement of equipment. The in Complex Weapons (missiles) has also made progress with agreement on a Future
former has been a real success with the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW) for the two navies imminent (at time of writing)
capable of deploying a brigade level force with air and naval assets, declaring Full and negotiations ongoing on the development of a joint portfolio of air, land and sea-
Operational Capability in November 2020 on the 10th anniversary of the Treaty’s launched weapons to be delivered by European missile manufacturer MBDA under the
signature. In many ways the process of developing the CJEF has been more important One Complex Weapons agreement.
4 5
Events, my dear boy, events...

Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s notable
response, when asked what the greatest
challenge was for a statesman, resonates
down the years. Inevitably, any debate on the
future of UK-France defence cooperation has
to focus on the event and consequences of
Britain’s departure from the European Union...
The UK Government declined to consider
any structured cooperation with the EU on
security and defence matters as part of the
Withdrawal Agreement process. Always a
lukewarm participant in EU defence initiatives,
and resistant to the ambitions of Permanent
Structure Cooperation (PESCO), it firmly
considered NATO as the bedrock of its defence and security commitment and was
wary of any initiative that could compromise the importance of the Atlantic Alliance. In
contrast, France under the Macron has put European defence at the heart of ambitions
for greater EU ‘strategic autonomy’ and taken a hard line on Brexit to preserve, as he
sees it, the unity and cohesion of the EU. These distinct political visions, one where
the UK seeks to chart its own course through ‘Global Britain’, and one where France
defines its interests and future firmly within one focussed on regional integration, rolls
back some of the progress and trust developed over the past decade.
Summits are important. Senior level political engagement sets the tone, forces Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron at Horse Guards, June 2020
prioritisation in the different parts of the government system as part of the preparation, Emmanuel Macron declared that ‘there are two things that nothing can change,
and provides the platform to launch significant new projects and maintain momentum be it a vote or a political decision: our history and our geography, these place us
at working level. The 10th anniversary of the Lancaster House Treaty in November together before a common destiny…’ There were some encouraging signs that there
2020 would have provided a timely opportunity to re-evaluate and re-set the bilateral was substance behind the rhetoric, with the inclusion of the UK in the French-led
relationship, particularly on the back of a successful visit to London by President European Intervention Initiative (E2I) that seeks to build on the CJEF process and
Macron in June to mark the 80th Anniversary of de Gaulle’s ‘Appel’. The plans were cultivate a ‘strategic culture’ creating the pre-conditions to conduct coordinated and
put on hold as a result of the pandemic, and remain so at the time of writing, although jointly prepared future commitments. There was also the establishment of a Defence
there remains a hope that one will be held before the end of 2021. As it currently Ministerial Council, an enhanced defence policy dialogue and meeting between the
stands, the last time the Heads of Government met with their senior teams was at the heads of the two national intelligence services.
Sandhurst Summit in January 2018 – a lot has happened since then and both sides are However it is in the field of defence industrial cooperation that the headwinds created by
bruised. The governance mechanisms put in place as part of the implementation of the the UK’s departure from the EU will be most challenging to navigate. It is an economic as
Treaty has maintained the dialogue between the two sides and notable successes have much as a governmental or military activity and, as such, companies will respond in part
been achieved since, including Full Operating Capacity of the CJEF, and the MMCM to the financial and regulatory incentives which this has inevitably changed. Alongside
contract, however a re-setting of the political relationship and shared strategic outlook the negotiation of the withdrawal agreement, EU member states moved forward with
is required if the bilateral relationship is not to stall, and only summits can really do that. initiatives to enhance the EU’s role in defence, including a fund for cross-border defence
The timing becomes all the more important as France prepares for both presidency R&D and multinational procurement under the European Defence Industrial Development
of the European Council and a presidential election. Alongside Germany, France has Program (EDIDP) and European Defence Fund (EDF) and initiating training and
often shaped the EU’s agenda. Recently, French influence has grown, and if President operational projects under the umbrella of Permanent Structures Cooperation (PESCO).
Emmanuel Macron is re-elected in April 2022 – likely, though not certain – he will France’s position on eligibility for participation was among the toughest in the EU where
be Europe’s pre-eminent leader for several years. 3 At the 2018 Sandhurst Summit it sought to preserve European defence industrial base from international competition,
6 7
Sea Venom, a UK-France missile developed by MBDA, on a Wildcat helicopter
HMS Queen Elizabeth and FS Charles de Gaulle lay on an impressive display of UK-France naval power the current and future threats and challenges.’ 7 The UK’s 2021 Integrated Review lists
France second only to the US in its list of key bilateral defence relationships and the
especially from the US. In many ways this mirrored UK’s red lines of its own, such as the
accompanying Defence Command Paper declares: ‘Allies for over a century, France and
free movement of EU citizens. UK access to US systems also adds a complicating factor
UK are vital partners in the security of Europe and in NATO,’ with the two countries being
to the calculus around capability, cooperation and sovereignty. 4
‘closer and more interoperable than ever’ ten years after Lancaster House. 8
Given the strategic symbolism of combat aircraft, the Future Combat Air System
(FCAS) became, alongside the One Complex weapons initiative, a flagship project of There is substance behind the contemporary rhetoric – the bedrock of the UK-French
Lancaster House. The contract to conduct a feasibility study was awarded to Dassault defence and security relationship is founded from shared strategic outlooks and similar
and BAE Systems in 2014 and at the 2016 Summit France and the UK announced capabilities as European military powers, and these remain largely unchanged, at least
their intent to invest 2 billion euros in 2017. 5 Yet at the Sandhurst Summit in 2018 the in the short term – Russia, Iran, Syria, and the Sahel. The challenge is in the longer
programme had been de-scoped to a shadow of its ambition with the confirmation term where the shared political visions may begin to diverge, with the UK charting a
of a Technology Development Programme worth just £50 million and in July 2018 broader international course under the Global Britain brand and France doubling down
the national strategy for the future of combat aviation did not mention France once. on its interests and influence within a European defence framework. 9 These are two,
In the meantime, Dassault had teamed up with Airbus to work on a broader project arguably incompatible, political choices and policy makers will need to seek ways to
that included unmanned systems while the UK government signed a 12 month UK-only continue to build on the alignments achieved over the past decade that are able serve
contract with BAE to continue on a future combat air system called Tempest. The both. New themes such as cyber, space, AI and Hybrid provide new opportunities for
reasons for this rupture were only indirectly attributable to the UK decision to leave cooperation, and the continued deepening of the already very successful military to
the EU, with issues such as differences in timescales for combat air replacements and military relationship will continue with its clear levels of mutual interest and trust. On
technology transfer presenting major impediments to progress, but existing issues in balance, however, it is likely to be an increasingly uphill battle with the requirement
bilateral cooperation were inevitably exacerbated by that decision. 6 to maintain those shared strategic outlooks competing with increasingly divergent
Prospects and challenges politico-strategic reflexes.
So where does all this leave the UK-France Defence Relationship in Summer 2021? The With the common vision for defence and security under pressure, continued cooperation
high level narrative remains couched in relatively familiar terms – the Joint Ministerial in Complex Weapons becomes an even more important part of the mix. The success of
Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of Lancaster House confirmed that ‘In the face of the the MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP ER programme using technologies derived from joint
changing defence and security challenges we both face, the United Kingdom and France Centres of Excellence demonstrate that mutual dependence in capability development
share a strong and deep defence partnership, with a permanent and comprehensive can work well. The Sea Venom (Anti-Navire Léger in French) anti-surface weapon is
dialogue on defence and security issues at all levels and a shared desire to increase another example where this dependency has worked well and, although the programme
ambition across the relationship’ and that ‘Only the preservation of a deep and ambitious has had its bumps in the road, the missile has achieved a limited release to service on the
bilateral cooperation will allow our two Nations to provide an appropriate response to Wildcat helicopters deployed on the CSG21 Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-
8 9
industries. 11 Taken together the two countries’ defence budgets account for almost half
the defence spending in Europe. They have strong strategic and expeditionary cultures
and have public and parliamentary support to deploy forces in support of national
interests and in defence of international rules and norms. Although there are increasing
strategic divergences, there remain important overlaps with increasing UK support to
UN and French forces in the Sahel and France operating under UK command in NATO’s
Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia. The governance structures put in place to
deliver the aims of the Treaty remain robust and play an important role in mitigating
the effects of political turbulence to the benefit of both countries.
A recent Centre for Strategic and International Studies report identified four areas
where, once the political turbulence of the UK leaving the EU has been left behind,
the UK and France should jointly consider strengthening their bilateral cooperation;
confirming their status as engines of Europe’s military credibility, shared capability
development, deepened strategic dialogue on defence and security and building on
trilateral cooperation with the US. 12
These are probably about right – the UK and France provide the European lead
for deployed combat forces, represent the core of European defence capability
development, continue to share positions on a broad range of geopolitical issues,
and are the key European military allies of the United States. The degree to which
UK and French paratroopers on exercise
the original vision and ambition of Lancaster House can emerge from the collateral
Pacific. As already described the next flagship program for this cooperation is the Future damage caused by the UK’s departure from the EU however will depend on the balance
Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon (FC/ASW in English, FMAN-FMC in French) which will provide between pragmatism and political ideology displayed by both sides – at the time of
next generation Deep Strike capabilities for both land and maritime environments before writing this remains an open question. ■
the end of the decade. Work ongoing to build breadth and depth to the One Complex
Weapons initiative through the development of a UK-France Joint Portfolio aims to ‘bake 1 Lord Peter Ricketts, RUSI commentary, ‘France and the UK: A Decade of the Lancaster House
in’ future cooperation in key missile capabilities over the next decade. Treaties’, 2 November 2020.
2 https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/defence-and-security/magazine/maritime-mine-
Elsewhere, with the problems of bilateral cooperation magnified by the UK’s departure
countermeasures-programme-mmcm-success-sea.
from the EU, and the risk of strategic drift, other, non-EU frameworks could play an 3 https://www.cer.eu/publications/archive/bulletin-article/2021/macrons-europe.
increasingly important role in helping the UK and France coordinate and align their 4 Pannier, A (2020), Rivals in Arms – The Rise of UK-France Defence Relations in the Twenty-First
positions and activities. NATO is central, of course, but other structures exist that can Century, McGill-Queens University Press, p.196.
also help mitigate some of the disruptive forces. The E3 diplomatic format (UK, France, 5 UK-France Summit Declaration – Annex on Security and Defence (2016),
and Germany) and the Quad format (UK, France, Germany and US) are non-institutional https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/
mechanisms that maintain the strategic dialogue at various levels in MODs and Armed file/505177/UKFRS_security_and_defence_final_2_March.pdf.
Forces, and the French-led European Intervention Initiative also provides a means to 6 Pannier (2020), p.199.
keep the UK engaged with European defence and security activity. However overall the 7 Joint declaration of the French Minister for the Armed forces and the British Secretary of
UK, France and Germany are increasingly operating in different environments in which State for Defence for the 10th anniversary of Lancaster House (2020),
http://www-dam.cea.fr/dam/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Joint-FR-UK-ministerial-declaration-
their objectives, priorities and constraints do not necessarily align. With NATO remaining
10th-anniversary-of-Lancaster-House.pdf.
at the heart of UK ambition for European defence, and France strongly promoting a 8 Defence Command Paper (2021), p.28, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/
European vision of strategic autonomy, it is hard to see these initiatives providing much uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/974661/CP411_-Defence_Command_Plan.pdf.
more than a channel for informal consultations and ad hoc coordination. 10 9 Pannier (2020), p.199.
10 Billon-Galland, A and Whitman, R (2021), Towards a Strategic Agenda for the E3, April 2021,
Conclusion
Chatham House Research Paper.
Many fundamentals of the UK-France relationship remain unchanged 10 years on from 11 Ellehuus, R and Morcos, P (2020), Sticking Together or Drifting Apart: The Future of Franco-British
Lancaster House. Both are European powers of similar geopolitical status, nuclear Defense Cooperation, Center for Strategic and International Studies Analysis, 28 October 2020.
powers, permanent members of the UN Security Council and have large defence 12 Ibid.
10 11
The ‘National Flagship’ – a missed opportunity? ‘ships, boats and floating structures,
except warships’ must be advertised
internationally and awarded without
By Kevin Slade discrimination.
Other countries, including the United
The announcement of a new ‘National Flagship’ to be built States, Canada, Japan and Australia,
in the United Kingdom, to promote trade and to represent have, by contrast, ensured that
Britain globally, is welcome news, but have we missed a great their GPA agreements exclude civil
opportunity here? We do not yet have specific details of the new shipbuilding. Britain has not done
vessel but what is available illustrates an updated HMY Britannia, so, which shows a marked lack of
in reality a new Royal Yacht, built to entertain, and crewed by foresight. So in order to conduct
the Royal Navy. This has already attracted a storm of negative the build in the UK, the new flagship
feedback, including disinterest (at best) and distancing from must be defined as a ‘warship’, but The proposed new ‘National Flagship’
the Royal Family. There is a strong view that this is an outdated, this then requires the expense of a relatively large Royal Naval crew and the further
expensive concept, linked to the past, and the lack of a clearly additional costs inherent in warship operations and equipment.
defined role for the ship underlines this view. Whilst the short-term objective of building in the UK may be achieved, the end result
The purpose of this paper is to address the above and explore how will be a vessel much more expensive to build and operate than a civilian ship, with
to convert what could be considered an expensive white elephant the additional burden of being unable to offset operational cost with income from
into an exciting, innovative and practical showcase for the UK with environmental and external source. It must also be noted that under OECD rules a warship cannot receive
advocacy credentials to parade before the participants of COP-26. A ship that would funding from the Overseas Aid budget, a significant loss of potential capital and
be the first in the world built with specific capabilities to combat the consequences of operational income.
climate change. More importantly, it could be a focus for all the people of the UK to The alternative is to tender and build the flagship as a commercial vessel. There are
take pride in and to identify with. A real National Flagship would attract the necessary a number of post-Brexit UK Government initiatives that help to level a very uneven
moral and financial support, both while building and in its operations. It would represent international playing field. One is the Green Book, and the other is Procurement Policy
the future more than the past. Note (PPN) 0620.
We need to add substance to the statement of the Prime Minster that: The Green Book is the government’s guidance on options appraisal and applies to all
‘This new national flagship will be the first vessel of its kind in the world, reflecting proposals that concern public spending, taxation, changes to regulations, and changes
the UK’s burgeoning status as a great, independent maritime trading nation. to the use of existing public assets and resources. It supports the design and appraisal
Every aspect of the ship, from its build to the businesses it showcases on board, of proposals that both achieve government policy objectives and deliver social value.
will represent and promote the best of British – a clear and powerful symbol of Procurement Policy Note (PPN 0620) sets out how to take account of social value in
our commitment to be an active player on the world stage.’ the award of central government contracts by using the Social Value Model.
This can be achieved by integrating into the new ship the Britannia Maritime Aid Both attempt to address key Government objectives whilst spending public money,
concept of a multi-role Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) vessel. A vessel including COVID-19 recovery, fighting climate change and so on. They are available
that is also a much-needed training ship for UK mariners of every stripe. Furthermore, a to any British shipbuilder bidding for a UK Government-financed project (there is a
vessel that has the ability to host trade fairs, conduct ocean advocacy, oceanographic requirement to award a minimum of 10% of marks for social content, for example), but
research and to be a conspicuous global showcase for the UK. there has been little understanding of how they can best be used.
British-built It should be remembered that the RRS Sir David Attenborough, one of the most
The proposal to build the proposed flagship in the UK and to classify it as a warship, sophisticated vessels built in the UK, if not the world, was a British Government
manned and operated by the Royal Navy, is also under scrutiny, given that the stated procurement which was tendered internationally and won competitively by a UK
purpose of the ship is for business rather than security. It would therefore be difficult shipyard, namely Cammell Laird. Surely the new National Flagship can be tendered on
for the UK to avoid allowing international competition to tender for the build without the same basis, and thus do away with this subterfuge as a warship?
breaching the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement Commercial shipbuilding must be considered as a UK strategic asset. The breadth
(GPA), where Item 47 of annex 4 of the UK schedule explicitly says the procurement of of activities involved, and the importance of the secondary industries that support
12 13
Britain and be exportable to those many countries with extensive coastlines that are
seeking multi-role ships of their own.
The BMA platform is exportable as a commercial RoPax vessel, thus opening up
additional opportunities and kick starting a British shipbuilding export drive.
Humanitarian aid
‘We have to act. We have to act now to try and clear up some of the appalling
damage we have made to the ocean … and that is going to require positive action’
– Sir David Attenborough
The response from much of the media to the Government’s announcement of the
‘National Flagship’ has been far from enthusiastic, with many questioning what the
ship will be used for. A forecast cost of £200m, when the post-COVID spotlight is on
fiscal responsibility, will attract hostile reviews. Conversely, a strong and significant
Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) role for the new Flagship, when not
engaged in Government representation or training mariners, will surely gain much
support from the general public, as British aid delivered by British professionals in a
British ship. The first time that this ship gets involved in any post-disaster operations it
is likely to justify its existence in terms of money spent, lives saved, national pride and
HM Yacht Britannia
the enhanced standing of the UK amongst the international community.
shipbuilding, grant the UK a measure of capabilities that we have allowed to wither. We We also have the opportunity to build a global maritime showcase on climate change
now have an opportunity to address this. with the potential for yet more favourable international publicity. By addressing the
Design
It appears that the Flagship will be designed to carry passengers and have facilities
to host receptions, trade fairs and international conferences. This vessel will be of
relatively small dimensions and limited capability beyond its primary role. It would be
a one-off build with all the extra costs inherent in any unique design. However, there is
an alternative; by utilising a commercial ‘common platform’ design, such as proposed
for the Britannia Maritime Aid (BMA) vessel, a far more practical, flexible and capable
ship (or ships) will result.
A proven Ro-Ro Passenger Ferry Hull with all necessary accommodation and showcasing
features ‘built in’, that will be more cost effective and of significantly greater volume
and thereby greater capability. There is precedent: the multi-role HMNZS Canterbury
was a design based on the commercial Isle of Man service RoPax Ben My Chree.
A cargo deck or decks can readily be configured as a large exhibition space, with the
capability of rapidly and seamlessly being converted to stowing containers and vehicles
for dealing with Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. A self-
supporting ship’s side and stern ramps will greatly facilitate the loading and unloading
of vehicles, stores, equipment and containerised cargo, which will be an essential too if
we are to demonstrate the best of British industry. The world is now containerised, with
everything from field hospitals to prefabricated buildings, Medical Wards, clinics etc.
designed to fit into standard 20-foot ISO containers. This cannot be ignored.
The UK shipbuilding industry cannot survive and flourish on one-offs. The new Flagship
must in itself be an example of a cost-effective HADR ship type that can be built in A vision from Britannia Maritime Aid
14 15
causes and consequences, demonstrating current initiatives, both education and the British maritime industry. Not to do so would surely be irresponsible, a National
action, the vessel can focus on climate change and ocean advocacy, which must be Flagship with no Port of Registry?
one of this ship’s tasks.
Crewing
The list of current maritime environmental concerns covers coastal erosion, invasive
If the National Flagship has a full Royal Navy crew, it wastes the opportunity to
species, plastics, litter and of course, pollution. We have the chance of demonstrating
showcase the world-class professionalism of our British Merchant Navy seafarers
how a floating mobile platform can help to address these concerns, both from a
serving onboard some of the most sophisticated vessels, such as 6-star cruise ships,
research and a practical perspective.
‘super-yachts’ and the world-class Sir David Attenborough. Naval crews are needed in
For example, the UK has developed world-leading waste management systems real warships; the current recruiting gaps cannot allow for additional personnel crewing
using pyrolysis (plastic garbage in – clean energy out) portable systems that can be a National Flagship. By all means carry a Royal Navy and a Royal Marine detachment,
transported in standard ISO containers and set up in any isolated or Island community. but we should not exclude our British Merchant Navy professionals from playing their
One such system is fitted to each of our new aircraft carriers and surely must be part in proudly flying the flag.
integrated into the new Flagship? There are also cost savings in delivering AID projects
directly to Site instead of through funding third parties – where the end result is so Training and education
often diluted by bureaucracy and graft. British maritime training leads the world and produces the most skilled seafarers
and maritime professionals. The UK certificate of competence is ‘Gold Standard’ and
Red Ensign accepted without hesitation as such. The global maritime industry is headquartered in
The recent COVID-19 crisis demonstrated the shallowness and lack of national identity the UK (IMO, ICS IACS, INTERTANKO, ITF, etc) and as such needs a constant supply
in registering vessels purely where they pay the least tax, resulting in a lack of of experienced seafarers, if the UK cannot supply then this expertise will simply be
‘ownership’ that led to many large cruise companies tied to a ship registry with little imported. Yet there is no mention of the New Flagship promoting British maritime
means of supporting the industry and crew members. The agreement for a Global training or the British maritime professionals. Our maritime colleges and universities
Minimum Tax may adversely affect shipping companies who register their ships with are world-class and a significant number of their students are foreign nationals.
Flag of Convenience (FOC) ship registries and by default create an opportunity to This makes it imperative that any UK National Flagship promotes British maritime
market the UK Flag as a robust ship registry of substance. To register this Flagship in training by assuming a training function as an example to others, especially the UK
the UK and fly the Red Ensign would be a demonstration of Government support for seafarers of tomorrow. Alongside diplomatic and trade activity the Flagship can also
have a role in hosting international and regional training conferences, seminars and
activities e.g. organising and teaching the value of local beach and ocean clean ups,
both fiscal and educational. If, as has been suggested, the vessel is to be named in
memory of the late Duke of Edinburgh, then what better way of paying tribute to the
late Prince Philip than to continue international delivery of the causes he believed
in so passionately? This can be done by actively supporting Royal Charities with the
Flagship and by carrying young people engaged in various youth initiatives, especially
those linked to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, helping those in need and
providing hundreds of young people with an unforgettable experience. This would be
a practical and fitting tribute.
Conclusion
We need innovative action to counter what appears to be outdated thinking, resurrecting
a model from the 1960s (in effect a ‘non-combat warship’). The opportunity is to
build a National Flagship, crewed by British and perhaps Commonwealth seafarers
and trainees (cadets and ratings of all disciplines), a platform for maritime training
and education, directly delivering UK-funded disaster relief, aid, vaccinations, and
community rebuilding projects, and equipped to carry out innovative ocean advocacy,
environmental and research projects. Indeed, to quote our Prime Minister, ‘every aspect
of the ship, from its build to the businesses it showcases on board, will represent and
UK Aid – an example of Britain’s ‘soft power’ promote the best of British’. Let us not miss this opportunity. ■
16 17
Defence & Scottish Independence

By Steve Coltman
When debate was in full swing for the 2014 Scottish

Independence Referendum, defence and security were barely
mentioned. As a second referendum is looking increasingly
likely at some point in the next few years, it is vital that
the subject of defence is given prominence and serious
consideration, both in terms of the security of Scotland itself
and of the whole of the British Isles.
The subject has been addressed before, of course. The SNP
defence spokesperson wrote in 2012:
‘…it is generally acknowledged that potential military threats to an independent
Scotland and its strategic assets and national interests would seem to be very
low. The UK government’s 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR)
stated that the probability of large-scale military attack against the UK by another
state was low, and it therefore prioritised counter-terrorism, cyber-attack, natural Vladimir Putin
hazards and preventing international military crises. Whilst several aspects of this (conscripted reservists to be mobilized in wartime) as well as a coastguard force with
document would not apply to an independent Scotland … it is probably reasonably fourteen major vessels.
safe to say that the same approach to future defence might be adopted by a
This impressive list suggests two things – one is that Norway must be quite wealthy to
Scottish government. Scotland is unlikely to face a major military threat in the
be able to afford all of this, and the other is that Norway must perceive a significant
foreseeable future; on the other hand, there will always be the possibility of threat to justify such expenditure.
terrorism or economic disputes.’
So what does Norway have to worry about? If Norway needs to worry about something,
A great deal depends on whether that threat assessment is still true (assuming it ever then surely an independent Scotland would have to worry about it too. The answer, of
was, and not just wishful thinking). Even if a military threat did ‘seem to be low’, that course, is Russia.
does not mean it can be dismissed out of hand. Risk is a function of probability and
The Russian Northern Fleet, and its associated Army and Air Force units, is the biggest
consequence, not just how likely is a threat, but how serious might that threat be if it
of the four fleets that Russia maintains. It includes:
does materialize. In 2012, indeed in 2019, a pandemic such as we have experienced
in the last 18 months with COVID-19 would have seemed unlikely. It is sometimes Ballistic missile submarines: 11
intellectually hard to deal with threats that seem low in probability but are obviously ➢ Cruise missile submarines: 10
high in consequence. They have to be faced up to, nevertheless. Hunter-killer submarines (SSNs): 6
➢
The rest of the British Isles aside, Scotland’s nearest neighbour is Norway, so it is worth
➢ Patrol Submarines (conventional propulsion): 6
looking at Norway and see what they are defending themselves with, and against.
Norway’s navy has a squadron of modern guided missile frigates, a squadron of veteran ➢ Miscellaneous and intelligence-gathering subs: 9
conventional submarines but with four new submarines planned to replace them. They Even allowing for not all of these being active at any one time, it is still a bigger
also have a squadron of missile corvettes and another of mine-hunters. The air force and more powerful submarine force than that of the UK, France, Germany and Italy
has 52 F-35A Stealth fighters on order as well as a squadron of five P8 Poseidon anti- combined. Also:
submarine patrol aircraft (the same as on order for the UK). The Norwegian Army has Major surface warships: 10
➢
an armoured brigade stationed in the north of the country, equipped with Leopard
main battle tanks, modern armoured infantry fighting vehicles and new self-propelled ➢ Smaller surface warships (corvettes): 8
artillery on order from South Korea. Norway also has a 40,000-strong Home Guard ➢ Landing ships: 6
18 19
This does not include the inactive aircraft carrier Kuzetzov. The land forces associated
with the Northern Fleet include two army brigades and another of marines. There
are many more army mechanized and tank brigades available elsewhere in Russia.
The purpose of the landing ships mentioned above is to land the marines on the
‘enemy’s’ coast.
The air forces in this region include Tupolev Tu-22 bombers equipped with cruise
missiles, both supersonic and hypersonic. The latter in particular are very difficult to
shoot down and some of the anti-missile weapons fitted to western warships (like the
famous Vulcan gun) are expected to be useless against them. Other cruise-missile-
armed aircraft include the veteran Sukhoi-24 and MiG-31 as well as the more modern
Sukhoi-33. Many of these cruise missiles have been tested out on the unfortunate Syrian
people. The combination of cruise missile-carrying aircraft and the aforementioned
submarines, many of which are also armed with cruise missiles, will make the waters to
the north of Scotland quite a dangerous place for Western warships to venture. There
are also, of course, the fighter squadrons that usually equip the (temporarily) out-
of-service aircraft carrier, anti-submarine patrol aircraft and electronic intelligence-
gathering aircraft as well.
Surface-to-air missiles
The whole of Russia’s northern and arctic region are protected by an impressive array
of land-based surface-to-air missiles. These are the S-300 and S-400 weapons with
ranges of typically 100-400km, certainly comparable with the US Patriot system (the
UK simply has nothing comparable save for the Aster missiles carried by our six guided
missile destroyers).
A Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22 bomber
All in all, the picture of Norway is of a country that has to take defence very seriously
indeed. about 50 years old, are deserters and ever since then have had to be careful which
countries they travel to. They dare not go anywhere with an extradition treaty with
Then there is the Baltic, another matter of concern to the Scandinavians as a whole,
Moscow. The recent hijacking by Belarus (part of Russia’s sphere of influence) of a
not just the Norwegians. The Russian Baltic fleet includes another three major surface
Ryanair jet merely reinforces the point.
warships and two dozen or so smaller ones, plus a large number of landing ships and
landing craft. There are also in this region another four squadrons of fighter-bombers In the Baltic states are based a squadron of NATO fighter aircraft to prevent Russian
plus other aircraft, surface-to-air missile batteries and six brigades of army and incursions into their air-space, and NATO tanks (including British ones) are stationed
marines. In addition, the Russians have a brigade of Iskander 500-km-range ballistic on the soil of these Baltic states too. The British public are largely unaware of this
missiles (with either nuclear or conventional warheads) stationed in the Kaliningrad situation. Defence is barely given any serious treatment in the mainstream media so it
‘oblast’ as well as another land-based brigade of Bastion 300-km range supersonic is hardly surprising that the voting public and many of our elected politicians are living
anti-ship cruise missiles. It is not hard to imagine that, in wartime, the Russians would in ignorance of the facts. These are very inconvenient facts for Scottish Nationalists.
seek complete control of the Baltic area, making it their ‘mare nostrum’. Indeed, it is in Defence need not be a major issue in any independence debate if you assume there is
the Baltic region that most worries are centred. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia used to nothing much to defend against, but this is clearly not so.
be part of the Soviet Union, and the fact that they are now in the EU and NATO is seen, Admit you have a problem
by Russia, almost as an offence against the natural order. Vladimir Putin’s government Should Scotland opt for independence, what might Scotland’s defence picture look
believes it has a right to a ‘sphere of influence’ surrounding Russia. like? Indeed, what would Scottish independence do to the defence and security of
An interesting story was told by a Lithuanian officer at a conference the author England, Wales and Northern Ireland? These are questions for another paper, another
attended. In 1990 the Soviet Union had been in the process of disintegrating, and the day. The first step in solving any problem is to admit that you actually have a problem,
cohort of Lithuanian conscripts that were due to join the Soviet Army instead joined and Scotland (indeed the entire UK) does not seem to have reached that point yet. But
the newly-formed Lithuanian Army. So far as Moscow is concerned these men, now with a referendum around the corner, we need to. ■
20 21
Exemplary service to Crown and Country: students like him usually spent two
terms at the College and two terms
Remembering HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021) on a training cruiser. The outbreak
of war with Germany in September
By Dr Sarah Ingham upended the usual pattern.
‘Philip of Greece’
Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps; Colonel-in-Chief of the Like many young men, Prince
British Army Cadet Force; Air Commodore-in-Chief of Philip was keen to see action,
the Air Training Corps; Admiral of the Fleet; Captain but he was initially hampered by
General Royal Marines; Field Marshal of the British his complicated ancestry. As his
Army; Marshal of the Royal Air Force; Colonel of the marriage certificate would later
Grenadier Guards; Lord High Admiral. detail, his father was Andrew
It takes extraordinary character, innate command and Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-
commitment to the Armed Forces to be able to carry off Glucksburg, whose profession
all these titles, among many others. His Royal Highness was described as ‘H.R.H Prince
the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, succeeded. Andrew of Greece’. As the great-
Bestowed on a lesser man, there could well have been grandson of both King Christian IX Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN
the risk of a hint of Ruritania. of Denmark and Queen Victoria, Philip was related to all of Europe’s royal houses,
The Duke’s death on 9 April 2021 was the opportunity to reflect on his contribution to including the ill-fated Romanovs. His sisters’ marriages into the principal dynasties of
public life in the United Kingdom and wider Commonwealth for more than 70 years. His Germany would prove awkward. In the First World War, Philip’s maternal grandfather,
funeral a week later allowed glimpses into a rich private life; whether the Land Rover he Prince Louis von Battenberg had not only been compelled to resign as First Sea Lord
commissioned; his love of carriage driving, captured by the poignant sight of his riding but had to change his family name to Mountbatten. When he was at school in Paris,
gloves, cap and sugar lumps for his ponies; or the reading from Ecclesiasticus:‘Those one new teacher was puzzled about why his pupil was simply ‘Philip’. The young prince
who sail the sea tell stories of its dangers, which astonish all who hear them; in it are had to admit he was ‘Philip of Greece’.
strange and wonderful creatures, all kinds of living things and huge sea-monsters.’ Despite his kinship with King George VI and his closeness to his maternal uncle, Lord
The junior officer who became globally famous as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was Louis Mountbatten, then commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, when war broke out
one of those sailed the sea. According to one biographer, some of his earliest steps Philip was not a British citizen. The bureaucratic machinery for naturalisation had been
taken aboard the light cruiser, HMS Calypso which carried the 17-month-old Prince switched off for the duration. His status as a foreign neutral complicated his progress
Philip of Greece and Denmark into exile and a nomadic, unsettled boyhood, living in in the Royal Navy until the Italian attack on Greece in the Summer of 1940. Indeed,
a strange country far away from his parents. The funeral of the Duke who died aged as it was not beyond the realms of all possibility that he might succeed to the Greek
99 was threaded with references to the Royal Navy in which he officially served from throne, the Admiralty were anxious to keep him away from action. On the tactically
1939-1952. One contemporary, Lord Lewin said: ‘Prince Philip was a highly talented justifiable grounds of not giving a propaganda gift to the enemy, in later decades
seaman. No doubt about it. If he hadn’t become what he did, he would have been First senior commanders’ impulse to shield a royal prince would also be experienced by
Sea Lord and not me.’ Philip’s son Andrew in the Falklands and grandson Harry in Afghanistan.
The Prince began his naval career at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth Early in 1940, as a midshipman he joined the battleship Ramilles on escort duty in
shortly before his 18th birthday, after five years at Gordonstoun. The school had been the Indian Ocean, a long way from the European theatre of war. Reaching Aden in
a haven. His maternal grandmother Princess Victoria might have lived in an apartment May, he was transferred to the county-class cruiser Kent and then to her sister ship
at Kensington Palace, but he had no permanent home of his own. His parents were Shropshire for operations in the Red Sea and off the east coast of Africa. In January
separated. For most of his childhood he did not have his own bedroom: a cousin 1941 he went to Alexandria to join the battleship Valiant, his fourth ship in 11 months: as
described him as ‘a huge, hungry dog; perhaps a friendly collie who never had a basket his biographer Philip Eade notes, ‘He did not have to wait long to experience the “hot
of his own and responded to every overture with eager tail-wagging.’ war” he had yearned for.’ Off the coast of Greece, at the Battle of Cape Matapan on
At Dartmouth, he was to be awarded the King’s Dirk as the best all-round cadet of 3 April 1941 fighting continued into the night. Philip was in control of one of Valiant’s
his term and the Eardley-Howard-Crockett prize for best cadet at the College. Older searchlights, which ‘picked out the enemy cruiser and lit her up as if it were broad
22 23
daylight’, as he recorded. He was mentioned in despatches by Admiral Sir Andrew travelled to work by bus. Looking
Cunningham, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, following a report by Philip’s like ‘a typical Prince in a Hans
captain that ‘thanks to his alertness and appreciation of the situation we were able Andersen fairy tale’ she surmised
to sink in five minutes two eight-in-gun Italian cruisers.’ The battle left the Italian fleet that many a girl worker in the
‘outgunned, pounded, battered and sunk’, declared a triumphant Movietone newsreel, shipyard would have noticed
shown in Britain’s cinemas. It was ‘a resounding victory.’ As Rule Britannia played in the him. The wife of Michael Parker,
background, audiences were assured ‘British sea power is still supreme.’ Philip’s shipmate, friend and
For his action in Matapan, Philip was awarded the Greek War Cross of Valour. More future equerry enthused: ‘Tall,
prosaically, he was presented with a certificate of qualification as a boiler trimmer, with piercing blue eyes and a
following the desertion of Chinese stokers on Nova Scotia-bound troopship. After they shock of blond hair swept back
jumped ship in Puerto Rico, he was ordered to shovel coal in the heat of the Caribbean from his forehead. I was not at
along with four other midshipmen. Afterwards, he returned to England to study for his all surprised to hear that every
sub-lieutenant’s exams and was promoted in January 1942. unmarried Wren on the base had
In June Philip was posted to the Shakespeare-class destroyer Wallace, operating out her sights on him.’
of Rosyth. She an escort for coastal convoys of merchant ships on their passage down Gradually, it became known by
Britain’s east coast to Sheerness. In October he became first lieutenant, second in the press that Philip had been
command of the ship. Aged 21, he was one of the Navy’s youngest officers to hold noticed by Princess Elizabeth. He
the rank. had acted as a guide to the heir to
the throne and her sister Princess
Under attack Prince Philip in 1947
Margaret on a tour of Dartmouth
A year later Wallace was sent to the Mediterranean to provide cover for the Canadian Naval College in July 1939. During the war, they had written to one another and he
beachhead of the Allied landings in Sicily. On 8 July, the ship came under attack at had often spent part of any leave with the Royal Family. Moving to the naval training
night from Luftwaffe bombers. After the first round, everyone on board expected a school HMS Royal Arthur at Corsham in Wiltshire in 1946, there were plenty of other
second wave. On Philip’s orders, smoke floats attached to wooden rafts were launched. opportunities to meet the Princess. In the Autumn he asked George VI for her hand in
These decoys fooled the enemy pilots who bombed them, allowing Wallace to sail marriage. Delayed until after a Royal Tour and Philip renouncing his right to the Greek
away unscathed. On board was Harry Hargreaves: ‘Prince Philip saved our lives that throne and becoming a British subject, on 9 July 1947 Buckingham Palace announced
night … He was always very courageous and resourceful and thought very quickly. You the betrothal of Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten RN. The following
would say to yourself “What the hell are we going to do now?” and Philip would come day, crowds gathered outside the Palace gates singing ‘All the Nice Girls Love a Sailor’.
up with something.’
The marriage took place on 20 November. Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh just
Philip was second in command of the new destroyer Whelp, which sailed to the Indian before the wedding at Westminster Abbey. The Princess’s Private Secretary Jock
Ocean to join the British Pacific Fleet. Whelp was in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Colville recorded: ‘A little colour and pageantry were restored to the country. The Blues
Imperial Japan and he was among the British officers on Admiral Halsey’s flagship and Life Guards put on full dress uniform for the first time since 1939 … The war, it
Missouri for the official ceremony ending the war. seemed, was really over.’
What next? As for many of his generation, the adjustment from war to peace was
disconcerting. He explained: ‘I have spent all the years in uniform. When peace broke Promising career
out, I found myself without any other clothes.’ In addition, unless he became a British Despite having to juggle royal duties, his career in the Navy continued. In 1948, he
citizen, his career in the peacetime Navy would be blocked. Diplomacy could get in the attended the Royal Naval Staff College at Greenwich, the following year he was promoted
way of his naturalisation: with Greece being destabilized by civil war, a wrong message to First Lieutenant and second-in-command of HMS Chequers, operating from Malta
might be sent if Britain backed a prince of Greece cutting all formal ties with the fragile with the Mediterranean fleet. He was joined by Princess Elizabeth, where they led
country. In addition, Philip had his naval pay, but very little in the way of private income. lives not too dissimilar from other young couples. He was promoted to Lieutenant-
To add to a sense of dislocation, his father had died in December 1944. Commander and then appointed in command of the frigate HMS Magpie. Now the
Posted to a shipyard in Newcastle-upon-Tyne to monitor Whelp’s construction in 1944, father of two children, a course appeared charted for a long career in the Royal Navy.
he was tracked down by a local paper which had heard there was a prince in town. With the Queen’s sudden accession in 1952 following the unexpected death of George
The female journalist was bowled over by the ‘tall, ash-blonde first lieutenant’ who VI, the Duke of Edinburgh now had to serve the country in a vastly different role. There
24 25
had been only four husbands of new Captain General – instead of

reigning monarchs, including George, the Queen. The Marines thought he
another Prince of Denmark, consort might be a better fit at dinners and
to Queen Anne. An example might mess nights: ‘As an ex-Naval officer,
have been Victoria’s husband, Prince he would understand and appreciate
Albert who declared, ‘The position allusions and jokes and Service slang
of a prince consort requires that a that could not possibly be uttered in
husband should entirely sink his own the presence of Her Majesty.’
individual interests in that of his wife.’ In famously walking two paces
At the Coronation at Westminster behind the Queen, for decades
Abbey in 1953, the Duke swore fealty Prince Philip offered the country
to the newly crowned monarch, moral leadership. In a pre-feminist
swearing to be her ‘liege man of life era, many men would have baulked
and limb’. Michael Parker explained: at publicly subordinating themselves
‘He told me the first day he offered to any woman. As the man in the
me my job, that his job, first, second shadows to a woman in the limelight,
and last, was never to let her down.’ the Duke pre-dated Denis Thatcher
Statistics compiled by the Press by more than a quarter of a century
Association provide a snapshot of in time – and light years in public
an extraordinary record: before his attitudes towards gender equality.
official retirement, the Duke had ‘I do not have a job. I never set about
undertaken 22,191 solo engagements planning my career,’ wrote the Duke
and made 5,493 speeches. This does to Tim Heald, one of his biographers.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Captain General of HM Royal Marines
not include those tens of thousands ‘I had two general ideas. I felt that I
of occasions he accompanied the Queen in his chief role as Royal Consort. He was at could use my position to attract attention to certain aspects of life in this country, and
her side on all 251 of her overseas tours. For those of us daunted at the prospect of that this might help to recognise the good things and expose the bad things. I also
getting dressed up for a work do or a fundraiser ahead of an evening of indifferent believed I might be able to start various initiatives.’
food and small talk with strangers, our sinking hearts must go out to the late Duke. Prince Philip’s decades as a royal consort would have been enough to earn him gratitude
Not for him crying off at the last minute or that extra glass of wine to help jolly things across the globe, but he gave so much more. Evangelical about science and technology,
along. Year in, year out, he was permanently on parade. To have spent decades in the he was the first member of the Royal Family to present television programmes. He was
public eye, unflinchingly doing his duty, is testimony to him. A handful of off-the-cuff involved in hundreds of charities, great and small, from the Society of Underwater
remarks is the most his critics can level against him. King Juan Carlos of Spain, Prince
Technology to the Junior Astronomical Society via the Alvis Owner Club. The Duke
Ernst August of Hanover or any ‘playboy prince’ is a reminder of how much we took
of Edinburgh’s Award was a counterpoint for millions of young people increasingly
the Duke of Edinburgh’s decades of exemplary conduct for granted.
cocooned by a health and safety-obsessed culture, while the Duke himself wanted
Modern monarchy to build a green future long before the Ecology Party became the Green Party. His
Initially he was treated with wariness by more hidebound courtiers, nervous he might be concern about the under-reported problem of global over-population – a concern
a loose cannon. He brought a more relaxed and modern style to the monarchy. This was more recently shared by environmental scientist James Lovelock – is worth revisiting.
symbolised at Buckingham Palace by the installation of an internal telephone system The Duke was the personification of an action man. Known as a keen sportsman, he
and the end of footmen’s powdered wigs. Many, including members of the Churchill was less well known for a personal library of some 11,000 books, which included poetry
Cabinet, tried to block his wish to begin flying training, fearing it too dangerous. Being and theology.
made an Air Marshal in the RAF was an incentive to get his pilot’s licence. Had Prince Philip been a 26-year-old marrying into the Royal Family today rather than
In March 1953 General Sir Leslie Hollis, Commandant General of the Royal Marines in 1947, much would have been made of his personal journey from stateless, penniless
was tasked with the delicate duty of asking the Duke whether he would be the force’s refugee to palace. Instead, as he said, ‘I just had to get on with it. You do. One does.’
26 27
The Duke of Edinburgh at his final engagement – The Royal Marines 1664 challenge, 2 August 2017
This stoicism was apparent when he reflected on lost or wounded naval comrades.
He observed: ‘It was part of the fortunes of war. We didn’t have counsellors rushing
around every time somebody let off a gun . . . You just got on with it.’
In June 2011, the Duke celebrated his 90th birthday. He became Lord High Admiral,
the titular head of the Royal Navy. In August 2017, he conducted his final solo royal
engagement, with the Royal Marines. He regularly supported the King’s Lynn and
The Duke’s coffin carried to St George’s Chapel by Grenadier Guards
District Branch of the Royal British Legion taking the salute at the veterans’ parades
on the branch’s 80th and 90th Anniversaries in 2002 and 2012. Before the funeral service, General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, spoke
It must be wondered whether the Duke would have been rather pleased by his funeral, for many:
pared down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Devoid of the publicity-hungry trying ‘We all have a huge regard for him. We have a huge regard for his wartime
to get into camera shot, it allowed viewers to focus on what mattered, whether the record and the care that he showed for veterans and for those still serving, and
military pageantry in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, the regimental flags, or the it will be a sombre moment for us, but it will also be a celebratory moment,
Queen and her wreath of white flowers – lilies, roses, freesia, wax flower, sweet peas because it was a special life and a life that was well-lived.’ ■
and jasmine. It was very much a family occasion, shared by the nation and the wider
world. With the Still, the Side and the Carry On being piped, along with Action Stations, Recommended Reading
the bugle call to scramble warship crew to battle positions, we heard an echo of Prince Philip Eade: The Young Prince Philip (Harper Press, 2011)
Philip’s naval service all those years ago. General Sir Leslie Hollis KCB, KBE: The Captain General (Herbert Jenkins, 1961)
28 29
Expeditionary deployments and warfare:

The historical justification for a forward-based defence
By Fred Dupuy
King Philip II’s physical preparations for the Spanish

conquest of England started in 1585, with an invasion
date set for 1587. Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster
to Queen Elizabeth I, received regular reports from
his agents in Spain and, together with the Secretary
of State, William Cecil, advised the Queen to send Sir
Francis Drake on what today would be called a pre-
emptive strike. Thus, when Philip’s concentration of
shipping and supplies was well-advanced at Cadiz
in the spring of 1587, Drake’s squadron was released
from Plymouth, with a roving commission to distress
the Spanish preparations in every way possible, disrupt the assembling of the King
of Spain’s ships, cut off their supplies of victuals, follow and fall upon them if they
had already left for England, intercept galleons from the East and West Indies,
and, above all, to do what damage he could within the havens themselves. Drake’s
squadron fell upon the Spanish ships in Cadiz harbour, destroying many of them,
together with large quantities of stores that would have been required to support
an invasion force, while taking some to support his own expedition. Then, through
April, May and June, from his temporary base at Sagres Bay near Lagos, on the south
western tip of Portugal, Drake dominated Cadiz bay, carried out several raids on
smaller ports, and greatly hampered all shipping in the area.
Buying time
This attack delayed the Armada’s departure by one year and allowed time to further
strengthen England’s land defences. It is a classic example of how an expeditionary
naval force can be used to take the fight to the enemy and keep him away from your
shore. Unfortunately, that policy of expeditionary warfare was not followed in 1588 –
and this almost had disastrous consequences, but for two pieces of luck.
Lord High Admiral, Charles Howard of Effingham, was made the Commander in Chief of
English naval forces and, in the spring of 1588, his squadron was combined with Drake’s
at Plymouth, while Sir Henry Palmer commanded a light squadron at Dover to keep
an eye across the channel, where the Duke of Parma’s army was awaiting the arrival
of the Armada. The advice of both Howard and Drake was to deny the Spaniards the
advantage of time and place and to force the conflict in an area as far away from the
channel as possible. In other words, to take the fight to the Spanish in their own waters.
Elizabeth however, pinning some hope on a diplomatic solution to the problem, and
taking the advice of landsmen who feared that, once at sea, the Armada might slip
past the English ships and arrive off our coast with no defence to stop them, held Sir Francis Drake’s map of his attack on Cadiz, 1587
30 31
onto the fleet at Plymouth. Eventually, when it had become clear that diplomacy was If the salutary lesson of 1587 versus 1588, i.e. doing unto your enemy before he does
getting nowhere, Howard was given the clearance he sought to sally forth and distress unto you, had not by now been fully appreciated by the English, the value of a proactive
the enemy. After sailing he met a northbound vessel which informed him that the and forward-based defence, as opposed to a reactive home-based one, was drilled
Spanish had already sailed but that a storm had dispersed and damaged many of home to them by Admiral Michael de Ruyter, who in 1667, during the Anglo-Dutch
their ships and the whole Armada had put into the northern Spanish ports for repairs. wars, captured and sacked Sheerness, sailed up the river Medway to bombard the forts
Howard realised that they would now be held there by the present northerly wind, and at Gillingham and Chatham, and burnt or carried off 13 English ships of the line, one of
after holding a council of war, he gathered his fleet and continued south. Had that wind them being the flagship, HMS Royal Charles, which was towed away.
held, it is apparent that, with the weight of metal at their disposal, the English would The 1739-48 War of Jenkins’ Ear, initially between Britain and Spain, saw most of the
probably have done far more damage to the Spanish fleet than Drake had done the action taking place in the Caribbean with Vernon’s (Old Grog) squadron occupying
year before. Unfortunately, once Howard’s ships were well into the Bay of Biscay, the various Spanish possessions and, with Anson’s expedition, raiding their colonies in the
wind died and then turned to the south. Pacific. There was a scare in 1740 however, when it was thought that France would join
Missed opportunity Spain in the conflict and that the Spanish fleet at Ferrol would combine with the French
one at Brest to support an invasion of England. That did not happen but in 1742 that
His release from home waters had come too late and a valuable chance to interdict the
whole of the Spanish fleet had been missed. Because of the restricted provisions that war was subsumed by the War of the Austrian Succession, which engulfed all of the
the English ships were provided with at that time, they did not have enough victuals to major European powers, including France, who did plan an invasion of England in 1744,
remain at sea and wait for the Spaniards to come out, and so Howard turned for home. which again, in part due to the weather, did not come off. During the invasion scare of
The Spanish were hot on his heels and, soon after arriving off the Lizard, Admiral the 1740 and again in 1744, a major part of the UK fleet was held in the channel ports to act
Duke of Medina Sidonia, commander of the Armada, saw the warning beacons being lit as a deterrent, but by the start of the Seven Years War in 1756, the UK had, at last, after
along the English coast. There then ensued a running fight along the Channel, with the numerous skirmishes, raids onto her coasts, battles close to her shores and threats
Armada maintaining a close compact array and dominating the situation until it arrived of invasion, learnt the lesson that taking the fight to the enemy had the advantage
at the Calais Roads, virtually intact. of degrading his base and ability to attack, while safeguarding and enhancing yours.
That war, which lasted until 1763, was a conflict that involved virtually the whole of
It was at Calais, and in sight of England, that the Armada’s fortunes turned for the Europe, stretched from the Americas, around Africa to the Indian sub-continent, and
worst and that was largely due to the wind direction. The southwest wind allowed was described by Winston Churchill as the first real ‘world war’. Luckily for Britain,
Howard’s eight fire ships to be sent in on the night of 28 July, which caused panic she had by then realised that her security lay in having a very strong navy, that could
and chaos among the Spaniards, causing them to cut their anchor cables and the
remain and be re-supplied at sea. It was that service’s long reach that enabled the
next day a running fight developed along the coast, with the wind eventually veering
British to ward off a threatened invasion by France in 1759 and emerge at the end of it
to the west north west, which gave the English the weather gauge and drove the
all as a global power.
Spaniards towards the shoals off the coast, where several of their ships were lost. The
wind eventually backed to the south west and allowed the surviving Spanish vessels to Invasion threats
run off into the southern North Sea, from where there was no realistic return for them. That invasion threat of 1759 was dealt with in the way that Drake and Howard would
Had the wind backed into the south, making the deployment of fire ships difficult and have proposed. The navy sallied forth to search out, run down and destroy the enemy
giving the Spaniards the weather gauge, allowing them to work along the coast in an fleet, where ever it could be found and before it got anywhere near the coast of England.
orderly fashion to eventually pick up Parma’s army, the fortunes of England may have The bulk of the French fleet was based in Toulon, for the Mediterranean, and Brest,
taken a different route. For England then, that wind direction can be thought of as for the Atlantic. Admiral Edward Boscawan, given charge of the UK’s Mediterranean
the Japanese think of the typhoon that wrecked the Mongol Emperor Khublai Khan’s fleet, based in Gibraltar, was tasked with blockading the French ships in Toulon and
invasion fleet in 1280, a ‘divine wind’, the Kami-Kazi! destroying them should they sally forth. That happened in August of that year when
The other piece of luck? In February 1588 Spain’s most experienced Admiral, Alvero de the French tried to slip, unseen at night, past Boscawan’s squadron which was refitting
Bazan, Marquess of Santa Cruz, the victor of the 1582 Battle of Terceira and commander at Gibraltar, but they were not successful and the British ships gave chase, catching
of the Armada, died. Medina Sidonia, a man with no military or naval experience, was their foe to the south of Cadiz Bay. Through a misunderstanding in their instructions,
drafted into his place. Thus it was that the Armada was commanded by a landsman five French ships of the line had already split off and headed for Cadiz but what was
who by his own account, ‘possessed neither aptitude, ability, health, nor fortune for left of the remainder, after a running fight, took refuge at Lagos, in neutral Portuguese
the expedition’. I suppose one could argue that piece of luck was bought with Drake’s waters. Ironically, this was the spot where Drake had established his forward operating
raid on Cadiz the year before. Whatever, the events of 1587/88 show in stark reality the base 172 years previously and used it to dominate and control the area. Boscawan
value of taking the fight to the enemy and not letting him get near to your home base. disregarded Portugal’s neutrality and entered her waters to finish the fight. A situation
32 33
that had similarities to an incident 181 years later, when Capt. Vian took HMS Cossack from the seas and hemmed Napoleon
into neutral Norwegian waters to rescue the British prisoners aboard the Altmark. into the continent of Europe, with his
Both are salient lessons, if they are needed, that the rules of engagement, hammered Channel, Atlantic and Mediterranean
out by reasonable men, sat around a table, in benign times, often get lost in the smoke of coasts being effectively blockaded.
battle, when other men, while under extreme pressure, do what is necessary to safeguard Those naval victories led to Britain’s
themselves and their nation. The ships of the French fleet were destroyed, with three dominance of the world’s oceans, while
of them taken as prizes. Those that had taken refuge at Cadiz were then blockaded the victory at Waterloo secured her
and unable to take any part in the planned invasion of England. In actual fact, while against the domination of continental
the British were fearful of the French Mediterranean fleet joining its Atlantic equivalent Europe controlled by one country. That
at Brest, it had in fact been heading for the Caribbean. Whatever, the result was, that naval dominance lasted for 100 years,
section of the enemies capability had been neutered. In November, the French fleet at with the Royal Navy becoming a largely
Brest attempted to move around to Quiberon bay and rendezvous with the transports expeditionary force, which safeguarded
that would carry their invading army to England. They were however intercepted by the growth of her world trade and
Admiral Edward Hawke’s fleet who destroyed or captured a third of the enemy vessels allowed for the development of an
and scattered the rest. Thus ended the French plans for invasion during that war. Empire upon which the Sun never set. HMS Dreadnought (1906)
French thoughts of invading England re-occurred during the American War of The second half of the 19th Century and early part of the 20th saw a revolution in
Independence (1775-83), but again it was the long reach of Britain’s navy that saved ship design and weaponry, such that all that went before quickly became obsolete.
her. The plan to send an invasion force of 40,000 men to the British Isles was dropped Furthermore, that obsolescence repeated itself about every 10 to 15 years, requiring
in the face of the Royal Navy’s dominant position, and logistical difficulties within a continuous building programme, to replace not particularly old ships with new.
France itself. The indecisive Battle of Ushant in July 1778 was significant in that, while The arrival of HMS Dreadnought into the Royal Navy in 1906 was hailed as being
the British fleet, with Admiral Keppel in HMS Victory, was trying to bring the enemy to revolutionary, and so it was, but the same claims could be made for the Admiral class
battle, the French under Admiral D’Orvilliers was trying to avoid it, and, with the bulk of of battleships in the 1880s and the Magnificent class in the 1890s.
his fleet, managed to run back into Brest. While an outright British tactical victory was
not achieved, there can be no doubt of the strategic advantage gained by the result. In 1897, Germany embarked on a massive naval building programme, with the aim
of challenging the Royal Navy on the high seas. When it came to a naval arms race
History repeating however, the UK possessed two advantages. The first was that without any land borders,
That situation was basically repeated when a British fleet, under Admiral Jellicoe, faced a large standing army, which generally required conscription, was not required, thus
a German one, 134 years later, at the Battle of Jutland. At the Battle of Cape St Vincent enabling what manpower was available to be concentrated in the Navy. The second
in January 1780, Admiral Rodney defeated a Spanish fleet in a running night battle was that, because of her naval heritage and global footprint, she had a massive reserve
and then, in April 1782, the French fleet under Admiral Comte de Grasse, which had of experienced marine personnel and the building infrastructure required to turn out
been instrumental in the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown, was caught by Rodney in the ships in good time. Thus, by the start of World War 1, the Royal Navy was still the
the Caribbean. The French had joined with Spanish forces for an invasion of Jamaica, most powerful in the world, and that fact was not lost on the German Navy.
but were soundly beaten at the Battle of the Saints, and de Grasse was taken prisoner. At the Battle of Coronel in November 1914, off the coast of Chile, Admiral Graf von
The French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars engaged Britain, with only a one year Spee’s cruiser squadron defeated a British one but was itself destroyed a month
break, from 1793 until 1815. The naval actions of that war are far too numerous to later, at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, when the Royal Navy intercepted it with
describe here, but suffice to say that all of the major fleet actions were won by the an overwhelming force of ships. At the Battle of Jutland in 1916, while the Royal Navy
British, with Trafalgar being the defining one. At Trafalgar, when Nelson’s two columns again sallied forth to intercept the enemy as it emerged from it’s safe haven, once it
broke through the combined French and Spanish line, cutting their fleet into three parts, had become aware of the British battle fleet’s close proximity, the German navy ran
he then combed his ships through the rear two thirds of that line, and placed British for home. The running and confused battle that ensued, resulted in more British than
broadsides across the stern galleries of the enemy vessels, from where in passing, German ships being sunk, and was claimed by the Kaiser as a victory for Germany.
they could smash the steering gear of their foes, sweep their quarter decks, where the
enemy commanders were stationed, with grape and musket fire and rake the length of Blockade
their gun decks with cannon shot, before rounding up and embarking on a do or die The fact remains however that the German Navy had conceded possession of the North
melee. That victory not only removed the danger of invasion from France which, until Sea, and any other sea come to that, to the control of the British. It never returned to
two months before, had been a very real threat, it effectively wiped the enemy fleets engage in a major action but for the remainder of the war restricted itself to commerce
34 35
raiding and submarine warfare which, in essence, was the same thing. While the bulk of ‘WSC’ (Churchill). Even with our backs to the wall, and with the nation stealing itself
Britain’s Home Fleet effectively blockaded the German High Seas Fleet, the remainder of for the assault that it believed would follow, the thought of striking back and taking
the Royal Navy ranged the world’s oceans to bring the German commerce raiders to task. the fight to the enemy, in his own back yard, was never abandoned.
World War I effectively crippled Germany, acted as the catalyst for the Russian When that assault did arrive it came as a daily stream of bombers that initially attacked
Revolution, and impoverished France and Britain. In an effort to recover from the coastal shipping, then radar stations and airfields, switching to infrastructure such
financial limitations the war had caused it was realised that a continuing naval arms as docks and factories and finally to the terror bombing of cities. Throughout what
race would not be helpful. The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval became known as the Battle of Britain, the fight in the skies over the southern counties
Treaties of 1930 and 1936 aimed to restrict the number and type of vessel each of of England gradually convinced the Luftwaffe that they were not going to achieve
the signatories could possess, while the Treaty of Versailles was supposed to restrict aerial dominance. The unsung heroes of that battle however were the aircrew of RAF
Germany’s re-armament. When it became clear that both Germany and Japan had Bomber Command because, while their Fighter Command compatriots were holding
been cheating on their treaty commitments the remaining signatories started to rebuild the enemy at bay, the bombers continued to fly across the Channel to attack German-
their fleets and the treaties were cancelled at the start of World War II. Those naval held aerodromes, transport infrastructure, fuel supplies and the barges that were being
treaties actually put Britain at a disadvantage in that, while her fleet was limited, assembled for the cross channel invasion. Thus, even while Britain was on the back
especially in cruisers and destroyers, to match those of the other nations, her naval foot, and fighting for her life, she was still taking the fight to the enemy in order to
commitments were greater and so her navy was far more stretched and vulnerable reduce his ability to strike at us.
to local concentrations of enemy vessels. This problem came home to roost, initially That bombing campaign continued throughout the war, with more and more aircraft,
in the Battle of the Atlantic, where there were insufficient escorts and, later, when of greater and greater capability, which eventually ranged deep into Germany to
Japan attacked British, US and Dutch territory in December 1941. However, even so, bring her industrial and military capability to a standstill. Unlike the German bombing
throughout the war Britain clung to the principal of forward defence, frequently ‘taking offensive on Britain, which drifted from one objective to another, the British one did
the fight to the enemy’ in order to keep him away from our shores. not. From the start it was aimed at inhibiting and then destroying Germany’s ability
That she was not entirely successful in this quest was not for the want of trying. While to wage war and thus to eventually producing the conditions that would lead to her
Dunkirk resulted from the failures in a foreign land, the subsequent evacuation showed defeat. Many people know the name of Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris (‘Bomber
(as had the escape of the British army from Corunna in January 1809) the importance Harris’) but not many know that of Hugh Dalton, the Minister of Economic Warfare. It
of the flexibility of movement that a credible navy provides. Even when, in 1940, the was his ministry that analysed the German war production, its supporting industries
enemy was mustered on the French and Belgian coasts and getting ready for yet and infrastructure, and then allocated many, probably most, of the targets that
another attempted invasion of England, it was not the RAF that worried the German Bomber Command subsequently attempted to destroy. This airborne assault, which
Army, but the Royal Navy. The Norwegian Campaign of April-June 1940 had been amounted to the attrition of Germany’s war-fighting capability, went hand in hand
another failure for British and French land forces, but at sea it was a success. While with the Royal Navy’s blockade of continental ports, a repeat of what they had done
the Royal Navy did lose some ships, they destroyed one third of the German destroyer to Napoleon and the Kaiser, and which starved the enemy of the material required
force and put most of their heavier units in to dock for repairs, such that they did not to recoup his losses.
have the capability to support an invasion force.
The new German navy, rebuilt during the 1930s, possessed several very powerful
In this situation you can see a reflection of the battles and outcomes from the times capital ships that were the equal of and, for the most part, better than anything the
of Drake, right through the 17th, 18th, 19th and into the 20th Century, where the long Royal Navy had. When they went to sea, however, they were still hunted down and
reach of the Royal Navy has interdicted the enemy’s ability to project power and destroyed. While in port they were subjected to regular attacks from the RAF and the
has safeguarded the British Isles, by destroying or seriously reducing that enemy’s Fleet Air Arm, until eventually all were destroyed or damaged to such an extent as to
capability at a distance from our shores. be virtually useless. The German navy was thus again reduced to commerce-raiding
In Commander Anthony Kimmins’ book Half Time, published in 1947, the author and submarine warfare in order to starve the UK of the food and material she needed
mentions that a few days after the completion of the army’s evacuation from Dunkirk, to continue with the war, but without the domination of the oceans, which Britain
a document containing a list of equipment that would be required to pursue the war largely possessed, that eventually failed. The modern and outwardly very capable
was passed from the Cabinet Office to the staff officers who would have to oversee its Italian fleet was effectively swept from the Mediterranean Sea and corralled into its safe
procurement. Listed were tanks, guns, aircraft, ships and all the various paraphernalia ports by the Swordfish attack on Taranto harbour, and Admiral Cunningham’s elderly
of war, but handwritten at the very top and given maximum importance was an item battleships. In the Far East, Japan’s lightning attacks on the US, British and Dutch
that had obviously been added after the main list had been completed. It stated: ‘The forces pushed the Royal Navy back for a while but eventually the Japanese forces ran
maximum number of landing craft for our return to the continent’ and it was signed out of steam and were defeated, largely by American efforts. However, had not the
36 37
two atomic bombs brought that war to a rapid end, history would have recorded the All of this incitement is occurring below,
increasing effect of a reconstituted British Far East Fleet. but only just below, the threshold of actual
The post WWII years saw the Royal Navy engaged in deterring Russian forces during war. Yet we still have some politicians and
the Cold War and supporting the largely voluntary ‘Retreat from Empire’. The late commentators arguing that Britain’s new
1960s withdrawal from East of Suez, and the cancellation of new aircraft carriers, aircraft carriers should be mothballed,
was followed by a plan, in the early 1980s, to reduce the Navy and largely limit it to sold or scrapped, and that the Royal Navy
safeguarding the North Atlantic lines of communication and home waters. Then, in 1982, should remain little more than a coastal
all that changed when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. Immediately the folly of defence force. They claim that the present
that plan was laid bare and while the Government and their military advisers were at deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth to
a loss as to what action they should, and could, take, again it fell to a seaman, a crusty the Far East is an exercise in delusions of
old admiral, to show them the way. First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Henry Leach, cobbled grandeur, harking back to the days of Empire,
together a British Task Force from what was left of the Royal Navy, augmented by and that the carriers are a waste of money.
commandeered merchant vessels and cruise ships, and sent it to retake the islands. As What if?
that Task Force steamed south and the Argentine Junta tried to whip up international Consider this particular example of a British
objection to it, Sir Nicholas Henderson, the British Ambassador to the United States expeditionary naval deployment. As you
said, in a televised interview: ‘Why should they be so surprised? A study of our history read this article, a British frigate or destroyer
would have informed them exactly how we would react. Now the best thing they can may be patrolling the Strait of Hormuz in its
do is get out of those islands.’ quest to protect the shipping that passes
The Falklands conflict proved wrong those isolationists who believed Britain’s defences through that threatened stretch of water.
should be limited to a stone’s throw from her shores. For a while the Falklands saved That shipping carries a large part of the oil
Admiral Sir Henry Leach, First Sea Lord in 1982
the Royal Navy from further cuts, albeit in an already reduced state, but over the and gas which fuels the world economy,
following decades the attrition caused by a disinterested public and a Treasury our various chemical industries, produces much of our electricity, heats our homes,
with social-welfare priorities, led to what had been intended, and more, in that and is directly linked to our wellbeing. From time to time, while transiting that strait,
irresponsible plan of the early 1980s. The result was a very small frigate and destroyer those Royal Navy ships are harassed by fast craft from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard,
force, a few submarines and a limited amphibious capability. and occasionally warning shots are required to make them stay at a safe distance.
Fortunately for us, we have friends across the Atlantic who have helped us to recover Those harassing incidents occasionally attract some media coverage, but what is not
some of what was lost over those past four decades and we now have two large generally reported are the occasions when our frigates and destroyers are acquired by
aircraft carriers with an ability to project power beyond our own locality. We still have a Iranian fire control radars which then lock onto their target. In military terms that is a
shortage of frigates, destroyers, submarines, support ships and the hardware to arm the very aggressive act. It is the equivalent of cocking a gun, pointing it at someone’s head,
platforms that we do have, but, at long last, the recent ‘Integrated Review of Defence, removing the safety and resting your finger on the trigger.
Security, Foreign Policy and Development’ has indicated a growing awareness within So, in those circumstances, what do the people aboard our ships do? They sit behind their
the British Government that the ‘peace dividend’ from the last Cold War has now been radar and computer screens, make their defensive systems ready, and they wait! They
spent and investment is required to handle the developing one. Let there be no doubt, wait to see if that trigger will be pulled. Much of the oil and gas that transits the Strait
that while some people are suggesting we should not let ourselves become embroiled of Hormuz is from Saudi Arabia. It is the lifeblood of that country’s finances. The Saudis
in a new Cold War, they have missed the point – because we are already there! and Iranians hate each other, to the point that they are presently fighting an extremely
Disinformation, state-sponsored (Russian and Chinese) cyber-attacks, large-scale violent proxy war in Yemen. Do you think it would be wise to remove that expeditionary
theft of intellectual property, threatening behaviour on the high seas, ‘little green men’, deployment by the Royal Navy and let the Saudi’s look after their own shipments by
kidnappings, assassinations, the use of a biological weapon on the streets of Britain, patrolling the straits themselves? Would you trust a Saudi commander to sit tight and
land grabs (thefts) by Russia, Chinese militarization of reefs in other nations’ Exclusive show the utmost restraint, while his enemy was locking onto his ship with a missile fire
Economic Zones (EEZs), the growing Communist Chinese invasions threat to Taiwan, control radar? Our expeditionary naval forces there are keeping a lid on a situation, which,
the threat of ballistic missile attack against Australian military establishments, and otherwise, might close that strait and seriously affect our interests and wellbeing.
recently, the rattling of Russian nuclear weaponry as a warning against Western support Of course, the Royal Navy is not the only one patrolling that strait. The Americans are
for Ukraine, a nation whose sovereignty we have pledged to support and protect. there, as occasionally are the French, Dutch, Italian and vessels of several other countries
38 39
(https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52820207)
Chinese power – a Chengdu J-20 5th generation stealth fighter
At a February 2021 online debate among defence academics, hosted by the Henry
Jackson Society, and headed ‘UK Maritime Policy – The Role of the Carrier Strike
Group’, the deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth, particularly to the Indian Ocean and
South China Sea region, was extensively discussed. One of the participants pointed
out that the value of the Queen Elizabeth was not that of a stand-alone vessel; her
worth was her ability to act as a hub for extracting the maximum leverage from her
own escort vessels and the assets that Allies could bring to the fight. Her importance
HMS Queen Elizabeth, pictured during sea trials
and value therefore is that of a force multiplier.
China may now have the largest navy in the world but it is nowhere near as large as
with interests similar to ours. Thus, we are not alone in that operation – and that is
the combined forces of America, Britain, France, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand,
the point. Our expeditionary deployments nowadays are generally part of something
Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and of course the extremely vulnerable and threatened
greater than just our own action. We are making our contribution to the whole.
Taiwan. Allied vessels around China may be vulnerable to the so-called ‘carrier-killing’
Carrier Strike Group ballistic missiles, but they require sophisticated terminal guidance to be effective,
HMS Queen Elizabeth’s deployment should therefore be looked upon as an Alliance which the Chinese may find difficult to produce at the desired instant in time, and in
effort, because that is what it is. Yes, the central vessel of the group is British, but one any case Allied warships may not be without the systems to counter them. The Chinese
of the F35 squadrons onboard is American, as is one of the escorting destroyers and navy itself will be extremely vulnerable in a fight against the massed forces of all those
possibly a submarine, while another escort, a frigate, is Dutch. On her way around Western Allies, and Communist China’s remote militarized islands, effectively static
the world she will exercise with units from NATO Allies and other friendly nations. aircraft carriers, will be prime targets.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, she may rendezvous with carriers from Italy, France and The People’s Republic of China is undoubtedly on a roll right now. The Chinese are
the US, thus sending a message to a sabre-rattling Russia of the capability that can be buying influence around the world by purchasing or funding commercial enterprises in
brought to bear in that part of the world, or, come to that, virtually any other part of it. many countries. Where business interests go, the military will follow in order to protect
F35B aircraft from Italy, and possibly Singapore and Japan, plus Harriers from Spain, them. China has occupied islands within the EEZs of other countries and it looks set to
and helicopters from several other nations, may visit her for short periods of time, and declare the South China Sea as her internal sovereign waters. She has spread into the
the Japanese, as they embark on the conversion of their own flat tops to operate the Indian Ocean with a military base in the Horn of Africa and has interests in various other
F35B, will certainly be interested in her layout. ports in the region, has purchased a part of the Svalbard island group in the Arctic,
40 41
and has offered military aid to Argentina, with its longstanding claim on the Falkland said, with a savage look, ‘What now?’, implying that his foreign minister had misled him
Islands. China is now looking for a base on the West Coast of Africa and is planning about England’s probable reaction.
to project her naval power into the Atlantic. It is apparent Beijing has the long-term It has been suggested that Xi will probably not make a decision until after the Chinese
aim of displacing the United States as the world’s leading power and imposing the Communist Party’s 20th National Congress in October 2022. Now is therefore not the
Chinese Communist Party’s ideas of government and exploitation around the globe. time for sending ambiguous messages! The Western nations therefore have a choice to
At the leading edge of this is the small democratic and pro-Western nation of Taiwan, make: step forward or step back. If they step forward then they must, by overt displays
which sits 100 miles off the Chinese coast and is under constant threat of invasion by of military support, maybe ceasing to recognise Beijing’s ‘One China’ policy, and
its much larger neighbour. In order to placate China for commercial gain, some might possibly the suggestion of a defence treaty with Taiwan, let China know that they are
say kow-tow to her, most of the West denies diplomatic recognition to Taiwan as a up for the fight. If they step back, it will only be the first of many in the same direction.
sovereign nation, and although kind platitudes of support are sent her way, Western The lessons of history teach, in an extremely unambiguous way, that those who wait
countries stop short of an outright defence treaty, which, should Communist China for an aggressor to attack, before defending themselves, start the fight with their
carry out her threat of invasion, would put China on notice of a major war. On this backs against a wall – and often lose. Those who go forward and claim the initiative of
issue, therefore, the Western nations have effectively sold their soul for thirty pieces of place and time, or at the very least show the ability and the will to do so, more often
silver, and, before too long, they may learn to regret that avarice. than not come out on top. The proponents of Britain confining herself to a purely local
Litmus test defensive stance, those who advocate her shedding the ability to strike beyond her
borders and into the very heart of her potential opponents, need to heed those lessons.
A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would become the litmus test of Western resolve. If the
Theirs would be the strategy that, by necessity, hampered Cassivellaunus, chieftain of
West does not step forward to protect her, the whole Far Eastern alliance will be in
the Britons, in resisting the Roman raid of 55 BC and the invasion of the following year,
danger of breaking up and China will be free to expand out of her home waters. As
and Togodumnus and Caratacus, who tried to do the same in 43 AD.
an Australian politician recently commented, ‘If that happens, Pax Americana will be
dead.’ The Japanese, who are already seeing Chinese incursions into their territorial As HMS Queen Elizabeth sails east, she carries with her the spirits of Drake, Howard,
waters and air space, would know they are on their own and could choose then to Vernon, Anson, Boscawan, Hawke, Keppel, Rodney, Nelson, Jellicoe, Cunningham,
embark on a nuclear weapons development programme to protect themselves from Harris and Leach, who sallied forth from these islands, or sent our forces to distant
both China and North Korea. The South China Sea would become an internal Chinese waters and over foreign lands, to safeguard and protect our interests, and our very
lake, possibly requiring the payment of tribute, in one form or another, to pass through, existence. It has been said many times that the essence of deterrence is possession
and the Western world would have been knocked back on its heels. of the capability and the will to use it. It is time to demonstrate that will, which is
possibly the most important of those duel requirements, and show, in a completely
Many expert observers of the situation have already warned that a war with China is unambiguous way, that we also have red lines and that disregarding them will bring
only one accidental shot away. So how can it be avoided? Well, certainly not with the the sword of retribution down upon the aggressor. HMS Queen Elizabeth is a part of
ambiguity of intent presently coming from Western democracies, whose weak and that sword, a very important rung in the escalating ladder of deterrence, that climbs
muddled approach is only encouraging Communist China to even greater excesses. all the way to the ultimate ‘Sword of Damocles’, which we hope will never need to be
In the article, ‘The Tiger is out of the Cage’, published in Pro Patria Vol. 2, we drew unsheathed, the Trident submarine lurking somewhere in the ocean’s depths. Let us
attention to the similarities between the present situation in South East Asia and the hope that as the Queen Elizabeth visits contested parts of the globe, those that are
political and military history of Europe in the mid-1930s. The decision whether to make our friends take heart from her presence, and those that are not will recognise the
a grab for Taiwan would likely fall on one man, Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In 1939, it potential that she represents, and heed the warning.
was Adolf Hitler’s decision to invade Poland and it is apparent that he based that
If the foregoing is insufficient to convince her critics of our new aircraft carrier’s
on the assumption that Britain and France would not come to Poland’s aid. Years of
worth, they should consider the following: It may or may not be coincidental, but it
appeasement and ambiguity from the French and British encouraged Hitler to take is certainly fortuitous, that as she cruises through the Indo-Pacific region, confirming
one liberty at a time, as China has done in Asia. Britain’s ability and commitment, the capability and the will to help safeguard the
In William L. Shirer’s seminal Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, he recalls a statement rules-based international order, our negotiators will be busy working towards this
given by the official interpreter to the German foreign ministry, Dr Schmidt, who, on the country’s potential membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for
morning of 3 September 1939, translated the British ultimatum to Hitler and German Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Trading empires come in many forms, change over
foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop. Schmidt said that after he had finished the time and there can be multiple beneficiaries, but their defence remains remarkably
translation, there was complete silence, while Hitler sat immobile at his desk, gazing the same. Thus, glimmers of Britain’s imperial past may be reflected in her passage
before him. After an interval, which seemed an age, Hitler turned to Ribbentrop and through that theatre – but a waste of money? Far from it. ■
42 43
Op. Granby 1990-91: Some observations on the role Times eventually evolved as a news
magazine printed in Riyadh and
and importance of ‘Force Information’ in the Gulf War distributed to all service units, both
in theatre and to their home areas.
By Lt Cdr Nigel Huxtable RN One Army and one RAF officer edited
material from the British broadsheets
and collated articles about who was
‘Force Information and Media Services in Operation Granby 1990-91’ by SJ Anglim,
doing what and roughly where. Its aim
published in the RUSI Journal in October 1995, told the story of the Sandy Times
was to keep morale buoyant during
as the major element of Force Information, a new concept deployed in 1990. It
the long months of preparation,
emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining good morale throughout
training and international politicking
the troops in theatre regardless of badge or service. This year it is 30 years since the
with Iraq and the UN, whilst quashing
coalition victory over Saddam Hussein’s forces after the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait,
rumours and answering letters from
and Kuwait’s eventual liberation on 28 February 1991.
the servicemen and women in theatre.
For those wishing to read more about this aspect of an often overlooked British Something done without advice or
involvement in a successful conflict, the author’s first-hand experiences could be a useful interference from ‘on high’. Lt Col
introduction to understanding the benefits of bringing together novel approaches to Glyn Jones providing the hand on the
the ever-present problems of maintaining high morale and countering misinformation tiller or ‘top cover’, as it was called by
in the ranks. The success of this particular approach to ‘internal communications’ in the Squadron Leader Pat McKinley RAF,
form of Force Information worked largely due to the personalities of those involved who provided the replies to the letters
and the small size of their team. The personal touch was read and appreciated by the and edited inputs from the broadsheet
audience and it is felt appropriate to include this first-hand account of their work. news articles sent from the UK, as well
As a Royal Navy Instructor officer with experience as a joint Service Mountain Expedition as laying out each production for the
Leader, and running the Training Video Production facilities in Portsmouth at the Royal printers in Riyadh.
Naval School of Engineering & Technology (RNSETT), the chance to merge the two
roles with a dash of self-sufficiency do not come around too often.
Morale
Photographs were a rarity, so having Signallers briefing down to the troops who
But then after returning from Scotland in the New Year of 1990/91 I was asked if I would be amongst the first into Iraq
brought an R5 Leica camera kit with
would like to join Force Information (FINFO) in the Gulf. FINFO was a new concept
me, I offered my support to the Sandy Times team (i.e. Sqn Ldr MacKinley). Thereafter I
created at the behest of General Peter de la Billiere to provide all British troops in
theatre with updates on what was enjoyed the freedom not only to move about the deployed British Army and RAF bases
happening and entrusted to set up and Naval ships alongside in the Gulf port of Al Jubail but also have my film processed in
and provide force communications Riyadh. This allowed us to have up to the minute illustrated stories published weekly in
mediums. Radio was provided by support of morale amongst the various units as well as ensuring facts were available and
British Forces Broadcasting Service rumours quashed. A series of centre-spreads reflecting the life and times of the ordinary
(BFBS) / Services Sound & Vision serviceman in theatre as well as sharing material safe for sharing with families and non-
Corporation (SSVC); Video was shot deployed unity in the UK and Germany. Having built up a reputation with the troops for
and edited in theatre by another honesty and lack of obvious ‘message’ I was made very welcome wherever I pitched up.
Instructor officer, Lt Cdr Campbell Because of the editor’s honest and sometimes pithy responses in answering reader’s
Christie, and made good use of letters, questions were inevitably raised about the lack of oversight. That and the religious/
American ‘combat camera’ footage. political ramifications of getting it printed in Riyadh meant that questions were eventually
To keep the troops on the ground raised in the House of Commons. Support received from MPs ensured the costs of this
and aboard ship up to date, a new approach to internal comms ‘in theatre’ were met and its benefits proven.
Major General Rupert Smith and general staff
of British 1st Armoured Division at a planning newspaper was created Initially an Invitations to visit the various units on the ground ensured a welcome wherever I
meeting on Day 2 of the ground war A4 sized production, the Sandy pitched up. Food, a place to sleep and transport (whether helicopter or jeep, and the
44 45
‘Bazoft’s Revenge’ – Patrick Cordingly’s Working lunch in a sand storm – soup

tank and original desert rat pennant and ‘biscuits brown’ with tinned cheese
front. The film processing too place at a ‘one hour lab’ where film could be watched
as it was processed and pictures printed with no chance of any getting ‘lost’ Standing
watching everything being processed and printed was always a small period of calm
amidst extremely bust times for the small Sandy Times team. Only after the war did
I learn quite what had gone on in the background, security-wise, to allow me to do
Carnage amongst those trying to escape the Mutlah death ridge trap this. Once the word came down that ‘the clock was ticking again’ we hastened back
northwards. Luckily I had been able to talk my way to accompanying a Royal Signals
daily transport planes to and from Riyadh) ensured a wide coverage of the troops team setting up ‘ptarmigan’ radio nodes in advance of the ground troops and so was
on the ground, even accompanying them in the move west to the final assembly and in one of the first vehicles into Iraq at the head of the British army.
attack positions (Ad Dibdibah Drive).
There then followed 100 hours of modern fluid tank warfare with access to the
Eye witness Headquarters in the field and even on to the front line itself. Typical of the support I
As the days passed the editor and I decided that when the coalition troops were to received was to be told that there was an RN Sea King due in, as it dropped off anti-
invade Iraq/Kuwait then it was only honest for us to be there to record the event as eye tank teams, and did I need a lift? So I left the forward POW collection team I was with
witnesses. This was agreed and arranged. Mostly due to the reputation of the Sandy at the time and ended up next day returning to the very front line in a Puma doing
Times as a trusted in theatre publication. Mid-February saw Sqn Ldr Pat McKinley casevac work. The Navy pilot needed little persuasion to exceed his safe fly zone to
embarked with Patrick Cordingley’s 7 Brigade ‘Desert Rats’ and me with Major General go right forward to 7 Brigade HQ area to collect blue on blue casualties. Coalition
Rupert Smith’s 1Div HQ team. Having
settled in to our new locations, been
issued with our morphine ampoules
and attended the briefings,
international negotiations called a
halt to the countdown.
Returning to Riyadh we remained
on call to return to the front, but
having been briefed we were
unable to contribute anything new
to the latest edition, or even share
what we knew in HQ. Let alone the
photographs of briefings being
Major General Rupert Smith briefing the attack plan delivered to senior officer at the A service before repatriation in a darkened hanger Kuwait: devastation, even in the recreational areas
46 47
stopped. Only when I returned to

Kuwait with UNIKOM did I fully see
what had been done to the city and
could watch and once again record
the return of the desert battlefields
to their previous state.
On my flight out to Riyadh in January
1991, I shared the flight with a retired
editor of The Scotsman newspaper.
He pointed out the unique position
in which I had been placed and
the importance of being a being a Children playing on a tank straddling the motorway
witness to events with no allegiance central divider trying to escape Kuwait City
to the established Press corps or Military Public Information system. Images from this
war were a highlight of this time both in the press and the Sandy Times. Forming the basis
of several exhibitions both in the MOD, Kuwait, various museums as well as being used
in the Central Office of Information’s history of the war, ‘The Shield and the Sabre’. ■
In the Gulf, 1991
forces had advanced so fast that safe fly zones were not keeping up with the front line.
Foolhardy perhaps, but speed was of the essence in supporting the wounded. From the Defence UK website: The gap between words and action
Having eventually run out of film, I returned to Riyadh only to hear at the airport that In March 2021, Defence UK welcomed the Government’s publication of ‘Global
a ceasefire had been called and to be asked if I was going to cover the ceasefire Britain in a Competitive Age: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence,
negotiations at Safwan. Sadly not, as I had all my film to see safely printed up as well as Development and Foreign Policy’, and its associated report, The Defence and
restock for whatever came next. Back in the office, Charlie Lowndes, the principal BFBS Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS). Unfortunately, thus far, there has been a
journalist, recorded my impressions of what I had witnessed. As the ceasefire came widening gap between stated intent and delivery.
into effect at 0800, my words were being transmitted unchecked and uncensored The DSIS provides the strategy for Government to engage with industry on
by anyone other than our own FINFO team. A small price for him typing them up for procurement decisions, taking into account the ‘social value’ of contracts and
sharing in the next Sandy Times alongside the experiences of Sqn Ldr McKinley. a move away from the ‘competition by default’ approach. The decision by the
Even more challenging was Ministry of Defence not to put the Brimstone missile onto 50 AH64E Apache
my getting all the images from helicopters seems to fly in the face of the strategy to support British industry.
the ground war processed and The decision has potential negative repercussions that go way beyond the fitting
back in HQ before midday. Not of a weapon system onto a single platform. By opting to put the American Joint
everyone in Saudi Arabia was in Air & Ground Missile (JAGM) onto the Apache, they have effectively poisoned the
favour of the coalition’s presence, commercial arena in which Brimstone competes.
and my photographs would have It is apparent to Defence UK that, in this instance, short-term accounting
provided perfect access to military considerations have taken precedence over the prospect of longer-term returns.
intelligence material. Eventually, For this short-termism, HM Treasury can share the blame with the MOD, but if
Pat McKinley returned from this mindset continues the Government will undoubtedly fail to meet its strategic
Kuwait City, where he had ended goals. The DSIS is littered with good intentions but we must hold the Government
up with the Desert Rats. Together to account when, as in this case, it fails to deliver. What if the Brimstone situation is
we put together a Sandy Times but the tip of an iceberg? Defence UK will be tackling this subject in greater depth
edition and I had the privilege of over the coming months.
Victory celebrations before the wind direction changed flying copies of it back into Kuwait Please visit our website www.defenceuk.org to read more.
and the city was shrouded in black from burning oil wells city only days after the fighting
48 49
Civil Resilience – the daughter of Civil Defence

By Jock McCody
‘You wanna see what people have been putting down their toilets since the start
of the lockdown? Nearly blocked my suction pump. Amazing!’ So said the driver of
the sludge-gulping lorry that came to pump out our sewage treatment plant (our
house is not on mains drainage). As we can now sit comfortably on the loo again,
content in the knowledge that we no longer have to ration the use of toilet paper, it
is possibly the time to consider some of the problems that occurred in 2020 during
the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and realise that other factors could make
the supply problem, of more than just that sanitary item, so much worse!
The shortage of some household goods spurred panic buying and the supermarket
shelves containing those items emptied very quickly, leading to rationing being
imposed by various stores. Generally that resulted in no more than minor inconvenience Rubbish piles during the ‘Winter of Discontent’, 1978/9
for the general public. What was more serious, however, was the shortage and then
the delayed re-supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for front-line health risk. Without adequate safeguards, a widespread cyber attack has the potential to
workers, which highlighted the vulnerability to disruption of the ‘Just in Time’ system bring this country to a standstill. Hopefully the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
of supply. That system, which prioritises financial efficiency at the cost of material and the National Cyber Force (NCF) are working with companies and organisations to
resilience, results in the ships, in transit at sea, being the warehouses and effectively ensure that their systems are robust, and that they have in place fallback procedures
the reserve stock of manufactured goods, components, and the material to keep our that are exercised frequently.
industries in production. Ninety per cent of our trade, by value, travels by sea, with the Chemical warfare
high value and extremely perishable items arriving by air. With that in mind, it does not In the past 15 years, there have been two direct attacks on the British mainland by
take a great leap of the imagination to realise that any number of factors could have a foreign power. In November 2006, Alexander Litvinenko, a naturalised UK citizen,
much larger adverse (in some cases, catastrophic) impacts on the supply of essential was murdered by Russian agents with an isotope of Polonium-210. A rare radioactive
goods from abroad. substance, the presence of which, had it not been for the experience of personnel at
The COVID-19 pandemic can therefore be seen as a wake-up call. If we look beyond Porton Down, would have gone undetected. Then in March 2018, Sergey and Yulia
pandemics to the impact of strikes, of the sort we saw in Britain during the 1970s and Skripal were poisoned, again by Russian agents, with Novichok, a biological nerve
’80s, and that of assorted other crises, ranging from cyberwar and terrorist attacks agent, the holding of which was supposed to be internationally illegal. This later
to insurrections and of course military conflicts, all of which have occurred in living incident had a knock-on effect in that the discarded Novichok container was later
memory, some of them in recent decades, it would be naive to think that some will not picked up by a member of the public and resulted in the death of Dawn Sturgess.
occur again, with possibly more serious effects next time around. The interruption to While both of these attacks were aimed at individuals, and their general effect was
supplies may be only one of the problems caused by such disruptions. The very health limited, they each left a trail of contamination that led to local restrictions on the
and wellbeing of the public may be cast into grave danger. Strikes and insurrection, free movement of people. What would happen if those weapons were spread over
unless they afflict some of our major foreign suppliers, are usually situations that can a wide area, and how effective would our emergency services be at controlling the
be dealt with internally and the problem tackled at source. situation and safeguarding the public? Without a trained country-wide civil defence
Cyber attacks on our utilities and supply services, wars in foreign parts and those organisation to back them up, one suspects they would very quickly be overwhelmed.
involving direct attacks on this country are different situations that require not only a Against all the evidence, Russia insisted that they were not responsible for either the
response from our military and security services, but also an element of civil resilience Litvinenko or Skripal assassination attempts, and suggested instead that the Novichok
that our modern society shows little aptitude for. With 80% of our food being attack had been carried out by criminal elements – but as unlikely as this may have
distributed by a handful of supermarket chains, a concerted attack on their computer been in these cases, imagine what would happen if an organised crime syndicate
controlled distribution systems could leave the nation hungry and cause civil unrest. or a terrorist network had indeed managed to obtain substances such as Novichok!
Transport, power generation, communications and many other functions are also at Another issue that the Salisbury poisonings raised was the inability of international law
50 51
other skills, to measure nuclear roentgen levels and was instructed on the marking and
control of borders between safe and unsafe areas. It was a surprise therefore when in
1968, with a membership of 75,000 mostly unpaid volunteers, about the size of the
present-day British army, and only six years after the Cuban missile crises, 23 years,
as it turned out, before the end of the Cold War, the UK Government announced
that they were disbanding the CDC. Additionally, they announced the standing down
of support organisations such as the Auxiliary Fire Service, the Industrial Civil
Defence Service and the National Hospital Service Reserve. The rationale for this was
cost-cutting, but many believed at the time that it was a blind following of political
(pacifist) ideology. Perhaps, as with the military cuts of more recent decades, it was a
combination of the two?
Fortunately, however, not all has been lost. Unbeknown to the majority of the public,
there remains at every level of government, an element of emergency contingency
planning. For several years, my wife and I were the emergency reaction advisors for
our local parish council. These were unpaid voluntary positions, and there were, and
still are, many such within the local council network. During that period we attended
several table-top exercises, run by ‘emergency reaction’ officers from the local district
and county councils.
The chairwoman of our village hall acquired funding from the local district council
Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned by Russian agents in London to upgrade the hall’s toilets and kitchen facilities, so that, should it be needed, the
facility could be rapidly converted into an emergency refuge centre. Thus we were
to effectively prevent the production and deployment of morally abhorrent weapon
not surprised when the London ExCeL, Birmingham NEC and other exhibition centres
systems. Legislators should bear that in mind if and when they are tempted to give
across the UK were rapidly converted into makeshift hospitals for the COVID-19
way to demands to prohibit the UK developing ‘killer robots’ when these very things
pandemic. Those massive halls with their labyrinth of underfloor electrical supplies,
are already making their way onto the battlefield.
numerous toilets and fast food facilities, will have attracted the attention of the
Foresight emergency planners, long before the coronavirus raised its ugly head. In addition
Faced by the risk of such threats as extreme shortages of food and essential goods, to those massive facilities, which can handle thousands of patients, there are the
and cyber or chemical attacks causing chaos and fatalities, the general public of the UK thousands of smaller establishments around the country, like the community centre in
is at present extremely poorly prepared, either practically or psychologically. However, a neighbouring village to ours that has been converted into a vaccination centre. That
that was not always the case. In 1935 the British Government issued directives for air conversion was handled by an association of local GP practices and volunteers, with
raid warnings, in a move that developed into a full-blown Civil Defence organisation. advice and assistance from the Army.
That foresight and contingency planning prepared the general public for the hardships Beyond those Government-funded organisations, there also exists an association of
that were to come during World War II. At their height, the Civil Defence services had almost entirely voluntary and privately-funded emergency assistance organisations.
some 1.9 million members, the greatest majority of whom were unpaid volunteers. The Civil Defence Association (CDA) is a subscription-funded organisation that brings
Disbanded shortly after that war ended in 1945, they were rapidly reconstituted in together several groups which can form intervention teams, which, when working
1948, at the start of the Cold War, as the Civil Defence Corps, and, as before, brought in conjunction with the Government services, would double as an effective Civil
together many different organisations that could support each other in tackling Defence Corps, albeit at a fraction of the size and capability of its wartime and Cold
disasters, be they of a purely civil or a military nature. War namesake. The CDA sees its role as ‘providing preparation for and actual non-
The CDC was called out to help, for instance, in the east coast floods of 1953, and in combatant assistance to individuals, groups or communities in need of immediate help
the aftermath of the Aberfan disaster of 1966. Its principal raison d’etre, however, was as a result of natural or man-made events, whether war be declared or not.’
to prepare for a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union, and in 1962 the Corps members Members of the association (see https://civildefenceassociation.uk) include the Joint
were issued with their equipment and mustering instructions, a full six weeks before Civil Aid Corps, Mountain Rescue Service, Association of Lowland Search and Rescue
the Cuban Missile Crisis reached its climax. As a junior member of that organisation (ALSAR), Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management, National Voluntary
in the mid-1960s, on a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme, I was trained, with Civil Aid Service, Radio Amateurs Emergency Network (RAYNET), Radio Emergency
52 53
Contributors to this issue of Pro Patria
André Adamson PhD is the Head of UK-France at MBDA and a Lecturer in Military Strategy
at King’s College’s London. An experienced military officer (RAF), he has been involved in
the development of policy and strategy in both domestic and international contexts and
has extensive experience of UK and French military structures. The views expressed in Dr
Adamson’s article are the author’s own and should not be taken to represent those of MBDA.
Steve Coltman is a Director of Defence UK. He was previously a member of the Liberal
Democrats’ working group on defence and was involved in formulating the party’s defence
policy for the 2015 General Election. He is also a former Chairman of the Association of Liberal
Democrat Engineers & Scientists (ALDES) and is the author of a book on UK defence policy.
Fred Dupuy has had a 45-year career in the Merchant Navy, spending the first part of his
career in general cargo trades, rising to Chief Officer and then transferring to the marine
sector of the offshore oil and gas industry. For the last 20 years he has served as Ship’s
A local unit of the Civil Defence Corps, pictured in 1966
Master on various vessels, with experience in emergency intervention, diving support/
Volunteer Communication (REVCOM), National Search and Rescue Dog Association construction, survey and wind-turbine installation. He is a director of Defence UK.
(NSARDA), Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol, and the Royal Voluntary Service (previously
Lt Cdr Nigel Huxtable RN joined Dartmouth as part of IO 38, passing out top instructor
the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, WRVS). There are of course many other largely
officer in December 1979. He served MCC for 17 years and is currently working with the
volunteer-supported services such as the British Red Cross, Royal National Lifeboat
Royal Naval Association as Assistant General Secretary as well as for the Combined Cadet
Institution, NHS First Responders and St John Ambulance, as well as a multiplicity of Force delivering their Leadership training courses – and is still contributing his e00xpedition
small local groups. skills in the Scottish mountains.
Nation of volunteers Sarah Ingham PhD gained her doctorate from the War Studies Department, King’s College
Britain is a nation of volunteers: a people who are prepared to help out and will step London. Her work, The Military Covenant: Its Impact on Civil-Military Relations, published
forward to support worthy causes, as the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2014 by Routledge, has been described by Professor Hew Strachan as ‘a pioneering and
has shown. All that is needed is a general awareness of what is required of them and important study’. A former journalist and political researcher, Dr Ingham is currently working
the network of support to guide and channel their energy. on a history of women’s advance to the frontline of combat.
When it comes to the Public Inquiry into how the pandemic has been handled, let Jock McCody comes from an Army family, and all of his childhood was spent around military
us hope that it does not sink into the swamp of finger-pointing and inferring blame establishments. On leaving school he joined the Merchant Navy and spent a short spell in
for things that might have been done but were not, or were done and should not the Royal Naval Reserve. He has an ongoing interest in military affairs and supports a strong
have been. An inquiry of value will be one that looks at the lessons learned, considers and capable defence.
what measures, procedures, directives and laws can be developed to handle similar Captain Kevin Peter Slade MNM CMMar FNI is a maritime consultant. The founder and
situations in the future and makes recommendations for their promulgation. Beyond Chairman of Britannia Maritime Aid and former Chairman of the Merchant Navy Training
the COVID-19 inquiry, consideration should be given to how, in the future, Britain’s Board, he is a Chartered Master Mariner with 22 years’ experience at sea including nine years
emergency services and volunteer organisations can be further supported and in command, serving on tankers, container and reefer ships, general cargo and passenger
expanded, so that, should the need arise, they can be rapidly mobilised and brought ships, followed by 26 years in ship management. As the Personnel Director of Northern
together to work cohesively and handle any manner of emergency. That may require Marine Management, he was responsible for 300 shore employees and over 7,000 UK and
a full and continuous public education programme, training and equipment provision, international seafarers on over 100 vessels. He was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal in 2019.
complemented by periodic and realistic mobilization exercises to prove the system Andrew Smith FCIJ, a journalist, media consultant and military historian, has been a Director
and prepare personnel for the requirements of large-scale intervention and control. of UKNDA/Defence UK since 2008 and has held various posts with the association. He is
As we work ourselves clear from the effects of this pandemic let us not forget the Chairman of the Victorian Military Society and Editor of its journal Soldiers of the Queen, a
lessons it has taught but, instead, take them to heart and prepare for even greater Life Fellow and Past-President of the Chartered Institute of Journalists and a member of the
problems that may, and probably will, arrive in the future. ■ Royal Historical Society.
54 55
Defence UK
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Rt Hon The Lord Campbell of Pittenweem CH CBE United Kingdom and the UK’s worldwide interests;
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understanding of the history and role of
Directors: the Armed Forces in the life of the Nation;
Colonel (Retd) Andy Allen MBE
Steve Coltman Commissioning research into the threats
Fred Dupuy faced by the United Kingdom and the military
Commander Graham Edmonds RN capabilities required to meet these threats;
Andrew Smith FCIJ Seeking to inform debate on all aspects
David Wedgwood of National Defence and Security.
Secretary:
David Robinson www.defenceuk.org
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Defence UK 'PRO PATRIA' Journal Volume 3 (Web)

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PRO

Ten years after Lancaster House, what next for

The ‘National Flagship’ – a missed opportunity? ......................................................................12

DEFENCE UK – AN INTRODUCTION Defence & Scottish Independence...................................................................................................18

Editorial The funeral service in St

Ten years after Lancaster House, what next

A new Entente Cordiale

Events, my dear boy, events...

Sea Venom, a UK-France missile developed by MBDA, on a Wildcat helicopter

Defence & Scottish Independence

When debate was in full swing for the 2014 Scottish

had been only four husbands of new Captain General – instead of

Expeditionary deployments and warfare:

King Philip II’s physical preparations for the Spanish

‘Bazoft’s Revenge’ – Patrick Cordingly’s Working lunch in a sand storm – soup

stopped. Only when I returned to

Civil Resilience – the daughter of Civil Defence

Contributors to this issue of Pro Patria

Defence UK relies entirely on membership subscriptions and

SECURING PROTECTING MASTERING COMMANDING

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