Royal Air Forces jets targetting Houthi rebels in Yemen have been forced to take off from bases thousands of miles away. The Royal Navy operates a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier capable of delivering the Typhoons to the operation zone but remains docked in Plymouth.
The US has used the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower to launch their latest wave of airstrikes. Meanwhile, the powerful HMS Queen Elizabeth remains in port despite costing billions of pounds.
Military analyst Sean Bell believes the reason for the Royal Navy’s reluctance to use the HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Red Sea operations is a result of poor resourcing.
Mr Bell wrote for Sky News: “Unlike the UK nuclear deterrent, which has four Vanguard-class submarines to maintain a ‘continuous at-sea deterrent’, two carriers were not sufficient to maintain any single carrier at continuous readiness for operational duty.
“Unlike the US carrier fleet, which maintains an operational posture around the world 24/7 – each bristling with fighter jets and ready to deploy at very short notice, UK carriers do not routinely have jets on board and often require considerable notice to work up to operational readiness.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth would normally take part in operations as part of a Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
However, the only support ship available to keep the CSG supplied, RFA Fort Victoria, cannot carry out the job due to a lack of manpower.
RFA Fort Victoria reportedly requires a crew of 100 but is currently manned only by a skeleton crew.
The former First Sea Lord, Lord West, The Telegraph: “It’s atrocious the Navy has let Fort Victoria get to the state it’s in.
“Bearing in mind she [Fort Victoria] is the only one, there should have been a very high priority when she returned from the CSG 21 to make sure she was in tip-top condition should she be needed.”
In response to the Houthis’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted airstrikes on military facilities used by the Houthis on Thursday night.
