While the main attention has been focused on the core issue of pay for Royal Fleet Auxiliary sailors, the long-running dispute between the Maritime Trade Unions (MTUs) and the MoD is more complex than has been presented in the media.
Like all navies, the RN is seeking to reduce the number of sailors needed to operate its warships as qualified people are expensive and in short supply. While putting fewer people in harm’s way, a small crew can have limitations. In this article, we look at how the designers of the Type 31 frigate have balanced lean crewing with effective operation.
Today officers and crew serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are holding further strikes. As previously reported, the RFA that provides the Royal Navy’s critical afloat logistic support is in steep decline as it is increasingly unable to find people to crew its ships.
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Should they win the general election, the government have announced a plan to introduce a form of compulsory service for 18 year olds. In this article we examine whether this type of scheme would be good news for the RN.
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When we summarised the condition of the RFA at the end of 2023 it was clear the service was facing significant challenges. In the last few months there has been little improvement and dissatisfaction amongst the shrinking workforce has come to a head.
A series of media reports in the first week of this year have brought the Navy’s personnel, funding and support problems into sharp focus. Here we provide some more context to the reports and the potential implications.
Here we report on serious issues hampering the flow of new sailors into the fleet.
An increase in resignations and slow down in recruitment in the last 18 months means sailor numbers are declining. Here we look at some of the causes, the long-term effects and potential remedies.
The first of a long-awaited 6-part documentary series “The Warship: Tour of Duty” covering the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group deployment (May-December 2021) will be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer on Sunday 22nd January 2023 at 9pm.