The First Sea Lord, Sir Gwyn Jenkins, has been called to the Royal Navy’s Defence Experimentation Wargaming Hub at Southwick Park, on the outskirts of Portsmouth, for a senior meeting aimed at sharpening the service’s response to rising global threats.
Sir Gwyn was joined by Second Sea Lord Vice-Admiral Paul Beattie and Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse, alongside operational commanders, representatives from the Army and RAF, academic experts and industry figures. The gathering centred on a series of tabletop and simulation exercises designed to test how the Royal Navy, working with NATO allies, would act in a range of destabilising geopolitical scenarios.
“Wargaming is what helps us understand how we apply the force we have today to the threats we face today,” Sir Gwyn said. “From this wargame we will be able to develop our war-fighting plans to an even greater degree than we already have, so that we can prove our credibility and sustain deterrence for the nation, and we can fulfil our mission and purpose which is to help protect the nation as part of Defence’s integrated force.”
Participants examined escalating tensions and potential points of friction where the Royal Navy might be required to operate in concert with NATO partners. The senior wargaming series forms part of Sir Gwyn’s wider push to increase the Navy’s warfighting readiness and transform it into a hybrid, technologically advanced force by 2029.
Key capability developments discussed included the wider adoption of uncrewed and autonomous systems. Two drone types, the Peregrine and the Malloy T-150, were referenced as systems due to be fully deployed within the Royal Navy’s inventory. Officials said the integration of such platforms is central to the service’s ambition to lead NATO maritime warfare efforts while continuing to maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent and sustain operations in the High North.
The wargame underlines a strategic intent to combine traditional naval power with emerging technologies and allied cooperation to deter aggression and respond credibly in high-intensity scenarios.
