Russian submarines in North Atlantic is new norm, reveals Admiral

INCREASING LEVELS of Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic and a steady stream of their vessels passing the UK is the new norm, the head of the Royal Navy has said.

First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, offered insight into current threats and what the future holds for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines as he delivered the Gallipoli Memorial lecture at the Royal United Services Institute on Thursday.

Warning that today’s armed forces “must work in an increasingly complex battle space”, he said the “degree of superiority at sea” which Western navies previously enjoyed post-Cold War is diminishing, as the space they operate in becomes more congested.

“You don’t need to look very far to see rising and resurgent powers flex their muscles,” he added. “It’s now clear that the peaks of Russian submarine activity that we’ve seen in the North Atlantic in recent years are the new norm.

“The same is true of the steady stream of vessels passing the UK on their way to join the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea Fleets.”

He said there are currently almost 500 submarines being operated in the world’s oceans by more than 40 navies. And also warned how sea mines, “which remain, cheap, easy-to-use and plentiful”, present an issue and stockpiles of these held by North Korea and Iran are estimated to be in the thousands.

The head of the Royal Navy highlighted how China’s navy now sustains routine deployments to the Middle East, Somali Basin and Gulf of Guinea.