91Èȱ¬

The Fleet Commander of the Royal Navy has told 91Èȱ¬ Radio Solent that ‘it’s absolutely critical to keep a broad spectrum of armed forces’ and to ‘invest in more warships’. Speaking at a ceremony to welcome the latest Royal Fleet Auxiliary, 'RFA Tideforce' into the fleet at Portland in Dorset, Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd stressed that the world is no longer a ‘happy clappy place’.

It's the first time a senior Royal Navy officer has spoken since heightened security concerns over British flagged tankers in the Persian Gulf. It follows mounting criticism about the depleted number of surface ships within the senior service. The chairman of the defence select committee, Dr Julian Lewis recently described the size of the Royal Navy's fleet of warships as 'pathetic.'

Vice Admiral Jerry Kyd is the former Commanding Officer of the new aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth.