UK must focus on the Atlantic, ‘foundation’ of Britain’s security: Navy chief

PARIS – The United Kingdom must strengthen naval readiness to keep the Atlantic open and protect the sea lanes, undersea cables and energy infrastructure vital to the country, the chief of the Royal Navy said.

Britain faces threats not seen since the Cold War, with Russia increasingly probing the North Atlantic and around critical underwater infrastructure, First Sea Lord Gen. Gwyn Jenkins said in a speech at the historical Admiralty House in central London on Wednesday, with repeated references to the Battle for the Atlantic during World War II.

Jenkins cited the memoirs of Winston Churchill on the significance of the Atlantic, saying the wartime leader understood the sea is not peripheral to Britain but existential. The Atlantic remains central to U.K. security and to NATO’s ability to reinforce Europe, according to the First Sea Lord , who said a “whole-nation effort” is required to defend the sea.

“We must know what is happening in the Atlantic, protect what matters, keep open the sea lanes, and convince any adversary that the cost of coercion or aggression would outweigh any possible gain,” Jenkins said, according to a transcript of the speech. “If we are to prevail in the Atlantic again, we must strengthen our warfighting readiness and rediscover what it means to be a maritime nation.”

The First Sea Lord said British dependence on the Atlantic has grown in the past 80 years, with almost all of the U.K.’s trade moving by sea, and almost all its energy, food, raw materials and exports flowing via maritime routes. He noted a “dangerous paradox,” saying that while the Atlantic has arguably never mattered more to the country, the sea is increasingly invisible in the public’s mind.

King Charles III (L) looks on as First Sea Lord and Commandant General Royal Marines, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, speaks during a ceremony at Windsor Castle on June 5, 2026, in Windsor, England. (Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images)

Control of the Atlantic has always been closely linked to control of its northern approaches, the Navy chief said, citing the defeat of Norway during World War II that allowed the Nazis to threaten allied shipping lanes, and the importance of the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap during the Cold War.

The Norwegian Sea, the Arctic and the northern approaches are not distant theaters but “form our open sea border with Russia,” according to Jenkins, who said the Joint Expeditionary Force is increasingly important there. The U.K.-led military alliance includes the five Nordic countries, the three Baltic states as well as the Netherlands.

Jenkins said the ten JEF countries will finalize a “Northern Navies” agreement this year to move beyond what he called episodic activity and to create a persistent, integrated maritime force, in response to the security threat presented by Russia.

Russia has advanced submarines that are increasingly difficult to track, long-range precision weapons and specialist deep-water systems, and is “probing, testing and mapping,” Jenkins said. The Royal Navy is spending a growing amount of time and resources to monitor Russian vessels, on average deploying two British warships every week for that purpose, according to the navy chief.

The First Sea Lord defended plans to create a “hybrid Navy,” saying future advantage will come from integrated networks linking crewed vessels, drones, sensors and data. He said that while there are skeptics, the concept is not optional.

“It is no longer possible to defend a vast, contested ocean with crewed warships alone,” Jenkins said. “A ship operating alone is now vulnerable. But a ship commanding a network of large uncrewed escorts, drones and autonomous sensors, that is a different proposition. That’s why we must blend old and new, crewed and uncrewed.”

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——英国皇家海军司令表示，英国必须加强海军战备，以保持大西洋畅通，并保护对国家至关重要的海上航道、海底电缆和能源基础设施。

英国面临冷战以来前所未有的威胁，俄罗斯正日益在北大西洋和关键水下基础设施附近进行探测。英国第一海务大臣格温·詹金斯将军周三在伦敦市中心历史悠久的海军部大楼发表讲话时表示，他多次提及二战期间的大西洋战役。

詹金斯引用温斯顿·丘吉尔的回忆录，阐述了大西洋的重要性。他指出，这位战时领袖深知，大西洋对英国而言并非无关紧要，而是关乎生死存亡。第一海务大臣表示，大西洋对英国的安全以及北约加强欧洲的能力仍然至关重要，保卫大西洋需要举国之力。

根据演讲稿，詹金斯说：“我们必须了解大西洋的局势，保护重要的东西，保持海上航道畅通，并让任何对手都明白，胁迫或侵略的代价将远远大于任何可能的收益。如果我们想再次在大西洋取得胜利，就必须加强战备，重新认识作为海洋强国的意义。”

第一海务大臣表示，过去80年来，英国对大西洋的依赖日益加深，英国几乎所有的贸易都依赖海运，几乎所有的能源、食品、原材料和出口也都经由海上航线运输。他指出一个“危险的悖论”：尽管大西洋对英国的重要性或许前所未有，但海洋在公众心中却日益隐形。

2026年6月5日，在英国温莎城堡举行的一场仪式上，英国国王查理三世（左）注视着第一海务大臣兼皇家海军陆战队司令格温·詹金斯爵士发表讲话。（Aaron Chown - Pool/Getty Images）

海军司令表示，控制大西洋一直与控制其北部通道密切相关。他举例说，二战期间挪威战败，使得纳粹得以威胁盟军的航运路线；此外，冷战期间格陵兰岛、冰岛和英国之间的通道也至关重要。

詹金斯表示，挪威海、北极和北部海域并非遥远的战场，而是“我们与俄罗斯的公海边界”，并指出联合远征军在那里的重要性日益凸显。这个由英国领导的军事联盟包括五个北欧国家、三个波罗的海国家以及荷兰。

詹金斯表示，十个联合欧洲舰队成员国将在今年最终敲定一项“北方海军”协议，以超越他所说的零星行动，建立一支持久的、一体化的海上力量，应对俄罗斯带来的安全威胁。

詹金斯表示，俄罗斯拥有越来越难以追踪的先进潜艇、远程精确武器和专业深水作战系统，并且正在进行“探测、测试和测绘”。据海军司令称，英国皇家海军正投入越来越多的时间和资源来监视俄罗斯舰艇，平均每周为此部署两艘英国军舰。

第一海务大臣为打造“混合海军”的计划辩护，称未来的优势将来自于连接有人舰艇、无人机、传感器和数据的一体化网络。他表示，尽管有人持怀疑态度，但这一理念并非可有可无。

詹金斯说：“仅靠有人驾驶的军舰已经无法保卫广袤且竞争激烈的海洋。单独行动的军舰现在很脆弱。但如果军舰指挥着一个由大量无人护航舰艇、无人机和自主传感器组成的网络，情况就完全不同了。这就是为什么我们必须将新旧技术、有人驾驶和无人驾驶相结合。”

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。