General Sir Gwyn Jenkins is aiming for the Royal Navy to be war-ready within 3 years (Image: PA)
The UK has been warned to prepare for conflict as the chief of the Royal Navy lays out his plans to transform the service in less than 1,000 days. Global tensions have skyrocketed recently following President Donald Trump’s renewed strikes on Iran, cyberattacks hitting across Europe, and multiple bomb threats to international airports.
Amid all this, the UK is under pressure to re-arm, recruit, and revolutionise its depleted armed forces to fit itself into the new geopolitical landscape. With Trump leaning closer to Russia, there is massive pressure on the military to position itself correctly in case World War 3 breaks out. With this in mind, Head of the Royal Navy General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has reiterated the perennial threat posed by Russia, weeks after an English Channel showdown with a Russian warship.
He made the comments earlier this month (Image: Getty)
The Times reported that General Jenkins laid bare just how little time the Royal Navy has to get ready as it embraces naval drone warfare. He said: “I am under no illusion about the world we face.
“Russia will continue to test our resolve and look for weakness. But war is not inevitable — not if our enemies believe we are serious. Prepare for war if you want peace. That means building our strength, adapting faster, standing together and demonstrating that, if required, we are ready to fight.”
General Jenkins told the International Sea Power Conference about his aim to get the Royal Navy war-ready in less than three years, saying that everything was “focused on the end of the decade”.
The Royal Navy could have just 1,000 days to get ready for potential conflict (Image: Getty)
Although General Jenkins stressed he was not saying war would occur, he insisted the world was simply more unstable than it had been previously.
General Jenkins’ comments came after it was reported the Royal Navy was in danger of running out of commanders to captain its ships and submarines. According to The Sun, no officer passed the service’s submarine command course, also known as Perisher, in 2025.
These worries were reflected in the Navy’s surface fleet where less than 10 officers passed another command qualification, this time known as CQ2 with around 35 successful candidates believed to be needed to sustain command at sea year round.
Despite this, the Royal Navy has pushed back at claims it doesn’t have enough personnel to man its vessels. A spokesperson said: “We continue to generate the high-quality leaders we need for operational commitments.”