Potent force Reduced Navy ‘could still cripple Spain’

Britain’s Navy is far weaker than it was during the Falklands War but could still “cripple” Spain, military experts have said.

Rear-Adml Chris Parry, a former director of operational capability at the Ministry of Defence, has called on the Government to invest “appropriately” in Britain’s military capacity if it wants to “talk big” over Gibraltar.

As the Government moved to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentina in 1982, the Royal Navy had no fewer than 127 ships, including 60 destroyers and frigates – as well as two aircraft carriers.

The Navy today has no aircraft carriers and just 13 frigates and six destroyers in service, down from a fleet of 33 in 2000.

The UK spent around 4 per cent of GDP on the military in the Eighties under Margaret Thatcher, while it sits at just 2 per cent under Theresa May.

Rear-Adml Parry said: “If the Government wants to talk big over Gibraltar, or indeed anywhere else, they have to invest appropriately in the military capacity to back that up.

“We are a lot less powerful than we were during the Falklands and we are much weaker.

“We are weaker in our war-fighting assets in particular because of the disingenuous way in which this Government has resourced defence – it’s been totally disgraceful.

However, he said Britain’s capability was three times more powerful than Spain’s.

“We could cripple Spain in the medium term and I think the Americans would probably support us too,” he said.