𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves would be fools to ignore the Royal Navy chief’s “inflection point” warning. General Sir Gwyn Jenkins’ message to the RUSI think-tank was very clear – Britain cannot stand still.

This, as the Express has repeatedly reported, is at complete loggerheads with the current reality. The 10-year Defence Investment Plan, or DIP, is months behind schedule and still yet to be seen – plunging the UK defence industry into “paralysis”. The First Sea Lord said Britain must “take more risk” and usher in new capabilities sooner to stay ahead of our enemies.

As it stands, the only risk we are taking is doing very little.

“Just maintaining the capable status quo is simply not good enough,” Gen Sir Gwyn warned. “We are at an inflection point.”

The Prime Minister and Chancellor must take heed of this warning as pressure grows on them to end the inter-department funding squabbling and finally give defence the money it desperately needs for the threats facing us.

And those dangers are very real and persistent. Gen Sir Gwyn warned Russian incursions into British waters had soared by nearly a third in the last two years, describing an “open sea border” with Russia in the North Atlantic.

The recent foiling of a Russian submarine operation to survey crucial undersea infrastructure near the UK is just one example of the sobering security situation on our doorstep. This is all against a backdrop of a severely weakened Navy after decades of cuts, leaving our stretched Senior Service with just 13 destroyers and frigates.

France and Italy, meanwhile, have 16 and 17 respectively. This is all worrying, but the good news is we do still have reliable allies – even if Donald Trump may disagree.

Gen Sir Gwyn announced members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) have committed to creating a new “multinational maritime force” to help deter Russian threats in the North Atlantic. He said Russia “remains the gravest threat to our security” and also confirmed progress is being made in developing a ‘Hybrid Navy’, consisting of crewed ships, drones and other advanced technology.

Uncrewed systems are to begin conducting patrols in the Atlantic this year and jet-powered drones are set to start flying from British aircraft carriers by next year, he said.

This is all promising but we must again go back to the long-running issue of mass – simply put, will we have enough to make a significant difference? Right now that is unclear, but what is apparent is that top brass are well aware of the perturbing reality facing us.

How an injection of some much-needed cash and urgency would greatly help our brave sailors protecting UK interests at home and abroad – the ball is in Labour’s court.

The farcical soap opera that is the Army’s £6.3billion Ajax programme has taken another twist.

Ministers have confirmed trials of the troubled armoured vehicle are to “proceed cautiously” after its use was halted last year when soldiers operating Ajax became unwell from noise and vibration during a training exercise in November.

In a written statement, defence minister Luke Pollard said an investigation found “a combination of factors” was likely to have caused the symptoms reported by soldiers. This included technical issues, variability in training and experience, cold exposure and air quality in the Ajax.

Those in the Army will be holding their breaths and crossing their fingers that the issues that have plagued Ajax are finally behind it.

The beleaguered vehicle was originally due to enter service in 2017 but has suffered repeated delays. Trials have been paused three times amid noise and vibration problems which have left soldiers sick.

The fiasco has not just been about value for taxpayer money and addressing a capability gap, but about the welfare of our brave troops whom we ask so much of. There have been calls for Ajax to be scrapped if it cannot be fixed – now feels like a crucial moment in its future.

Vladimir Putin has been humiliated after being forced to scale back Russia’s annual Victory Day parade. No tanks, missiles or other military equipment will be displayed in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 over fears of Ukrainian strikes.

The parade, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, is Russia’s most important non-religious holiday and a key source of patriotic pride.

It has long been used by the Kremlin to flex Russia’s military muscles in front of the world. Make no mistake, the fact no military hardware will be on show is a blow to Mr Putin and another clear indicator that his bitter war in Ukraine is not going well.