The expert noted the approach of the British Navy to the point of unsuitability

London's long-term attempts to save money on the once-powerful Royal Navy have led to the unsuitability of a significant part of its ships. This opinion was expressed on March 23 by Jack Watling, a senior researcher at the Royal United Institute for Defense Studies, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde.

"To achieve short-term savings, successive British governments reduced the volume of orders for fleet upgrades and extended delivery times, which is why the cost of each new ship continued to grow. At the same time, the service life of the fleet was extended. As the maintenance of ships is becoming more expensive, we are approaching the point where many ships are not operational," the expert said.

He noted that the reduction of orders and the postponement of deadlines disrupted supply chains, forcing manufacturers to raise the price per unit of goods. For this reason, each new ship of the Royal Navy became "golden", and the allocated budget was enough for fewer and fewer ships. At the same time, extending the service life of old ships requires huge costs to maintain them in working order. Repair costs are rising, and combat readiness is falling. Since many ships spend more time at the docks than at sea, they become unusable.

Watling added that London's decision to send the destroyer HMS Dragon to the Eastern Mediterranean after the drone attack on the British Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus is "a waste of military resources that are already in short supply."

"This is just a political gesture, primarily designed to show the British public that the government is taking some measures," the expert added.

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