Why British Navy needs foreign support to keep its warships at sea

Britain’s Royal Navy is now leaning heavily on foreign assistance to keep its warships operational at sea, as a growing staffing crisis leaves the fleet struggling to man its vessels.

In a recent development, a Norwegian ship has been tasked with supporting HMS Prince of Wales, one of the UK’s two aircraft carriers, because Britain’s own ships lack the manpower to provide necessary resupply services. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s (RFA) Fort Victoria, the UK’s only solid support ship capable of fully replenishing aircraft carriers with ammunition, spare parts and provisions, was unable to sail earlier in 2024 due to a shortage of crew.

The Telegraph reported that Fort Victoria will not be participating in any future sea training exercises with HMS Prince of Wales once its maintenance finishes in autumn, remaining instead docked at Seaforth Docks near Liverpool for the foreseeable future. Its involvement in the Carrier Strike Group’s 2025 deployment to the Indo-Pacific, led by HMS Prince of Wales, is also uncertain.

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Due to Fort Victoria’s unavailability, HMS Prince of Wales recently had to rely on Norway’s HNoMS Maud to perform an at-sea replenishment. This came ahead of the NATO “Strike Warrior” exercise in the North Sea, where Norway’s supply ship provided the fuel and resources that would normally be handled by British vessels. Defence experts caution that until the UK’s new fleet of support ships is ready, likely in the early 2030s, foreign nations may have to step in to fill the gap left by the UK’s diminished capacity.

Operational deficiencies

Although the Royal Navy can rely on helicopter-based vertical replenishment in some cases, the absence of an active solid support ship is a glaring operational deficiency. Admiral Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, voiced his frustration to The Telegraph, “A blue water navy must be able to support itself. It’s embarrassing that we are now dependent on others when we should be fully self-sufficient.”

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HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK’s other £3 billion aircraft carrier, has also faced challenges. After seeing combat in 2021 during Operation Shader, where it launched F-35B fighter jets in operations against Islamic State, the carrier was considered for a deployment to the Red Sea in early 2023 following attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant vessels. However, those plans never materialised. By February, an unexpected issue with Queen Elizabeth’s propeller shaft forced the Navy to cancel its leadership of NATO’s largest military exercise since the Cold War.

Shrinking fleet and staffing issues

These operational setbacks are compounded by the shrinking size of the RFA, which supports the Royal Navy by providing critical supplies and refuelling. The RFA has seen its fleet and staffing numbers dwindle, with only six out of 13 ships being operational due to a lack of crew. According to Sky News, Pay reductions amounting to a 30 per cent real-term cut since 2010 have worsened retention issues, driving the number of RFA sailors down from 1,840 in 2021 to 1,675 by 2023.

This staffing shortfall is emblematic of a wider recruitment crisis across the Royal Navy, which has seen the sharpest decline in new recruits among all branches of the UK Armed Forces. Between 2022 and 2023, navy intake plummeted by over 22 per cent, contributing to a manpower crisis that threatens the navy’s ability to meet its operational commitments.

Recruitment challenges and strategic defence review

In response, the UK’s Ministry of Defence has begun a new Strategic Defence Review, scheduled for release in early 2025, which aims to address the staffing and readiness challenges facing the UK military. However, with rumours of deep cuts in the upcoming autumn budget, concerns are mounting that the armed forces may struggle to maintain their current capabilities, let alone expand them. While the government had promised to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, uncertainty looms over whether that commitment will materialise.

In July last year, a Sky News exclusive revealed growing concerns about the Royal Navy’s declining recruitment numbers, with defence sources warning that the shortage of new personnel could hinder its operational capacity, including staffing the nuclear deterrent.

One insider paintbed a bleak picture, describing the situation as a “general collapse” in recruitment, though the Navy pushed back on this, admitting to recruitment challenges but denying the severity of the claims.

Factors behind recruitment decline

Several issues were blamed for the downturn. In certain areas of the UK, recruitment staff shortages reached up to 35 per cent, as many naval reservists—who play a key role in recruitment—left in significant numbers due to worries over job stability amid the introduction of a new recruitment system.

Internal attempts to use data analytics for recruitment have also reportedly stumbled after a successful contract with a private consultancy ended, leaving gaps in strategy. Adding to the woes, the government’s failure to ensure military pay kept pace with inflation has made joining the armed forces—be it the Navy, Army, or RAF—a less attractive option. Retention rates have also worsened, with more sailors leaving the service, leading to an increased reliance on recruitment to compensate for the outflow surpassing the inflow.

Broader challenges facing the Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is grappling with a host of challenges, including funding shortages, maintenance issues and a lack of adequate support vessels. Investment in aircraft carriers has been relentlessly criticised as a vanity project that drains resources away from more pressing defence necessities. Unfortunately, the UK does not have the budget to sustain these ambitious vessels. In 2020, reports revealed that the British government allocated $8 billion for the construction of these warships, yet failed to secure adequate funding for the aircraft that would operate from them.

Furthermore, the Royal Navy has struggled to acquire the escort and support ships necessary to safeguard its new carriers. While the British military has addressed some of the initial shortcomings identified back in 2020, it now faces a new set of challenges that threaten to undermine the effectiveness of its already precarious carrier fleet.