Overview
- First Sea Lord Gwyn Jenkins cautioned that Britain is only narrowly holding its position in the Atlantic and urged higher defense spending to keep pace with Russian investment.
- The UK reports roughly a 30% increase over two years in Russian vessels posing threats near British waters, with several interceptions recorded in 2025.
- Availability of Astute‑class nuclear submarines remains poor after prolonged maintenance outages, which Jenkins identified as his top priority to fix.
- The UK launched Atlantic Bastion to combine drones and AI with fleet assets, and it plans with Norway to field Type‑26 anti‑submarine frigates focused on the GIUK gap.
- NATO officials warn Russian submarines are often difficult to detect from Arctic bastions, and the spy ship Yantar was accused of laser targeting British aircrew near UK waters, which London called deeply dangerous.