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Royal Navy Strategic Defence Review Briefing

A discussion with Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell KCB CBE, Second Sea Lord

  Thursday 24 July 2025 │ 09:15-10:15 BST │ Interactive Webinar

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    This webinar has already taken place, but you can still listen to his pre-prepared remarks on the Chief Disruptor Podcast.

     
    The Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR) has now been released, and all of its recommendations have been accepted by the UK government. This is to be supported by a new partnership with industry that maximises internal and industrial expertise, accelerates acquisition processes, manages risk and cost, and engages a wider set of suppliers.

    Specific recommendations for the Royal Navy include that it:
    • Must play a new, leading and coordinating role in securing the UK’s critical undersea infrastructure and maritime traffic. As part of this, it must work with wider Government and commercial partners to develop enhanced maritime surveillance through existing and novel capabilities.
    • Must continue its transformation in the skills, equipment, and ways of operating needed for the 21st-century maritime domain as part of an Integrated Force. This should include:
      • Moving to a ‘hybrid’ carrier airwing, comprising crewed combat aircraft, autonomous collaborative platforms in the air, single-use drones, and, eventually, long-range missiles capable of being fired from the carrier deck.
      • Rapid evolution of anti-submarine warfare through the integration of underwater, surface, and airborne drones with crewed platforms.
      • Rapid evolution of mine-hunting to be delivered with autonomous platforms.
      • Exploring possible development from a Type 45 destroyer to a minimally crewed or autonomous air dominance system that could integrate directed energy weapons and enable better connectivity to other assets within the UK’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence system.
    • Should engage with commercial partners—including private finance—and other Governments to rapidly deliver an integrated frigate force for anti-submarine warfare, comprising crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms. This project should be an exemplar of how private money is attracted to defence technology and linked to export-led opportunity under a new partnership with industry.
    • Should use a dedicated regulatory ‘sandbox’ to test and deploy new technologies.
    But what does this actually mean for the Royal Navy? How and when will these changes be implemented? And what does it mean for industry and other external stakeholders?

    HEAR FROM
    Second Sea Lord-1Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell KCB CBE, Second Sea Lord, Royal Navy
    The Second Sea Lord is responsible for delivery of the Royal Navy’s future capabilities, strategy and long-term programme, and is the Principal Personnel Officer. His early career included various seagoing assignments, initially as a Lynx helicopter observer and then as a principal warfare officer. He has had the privilege of commanding at sea on a number of occasions, including the former aircraft carrier and flagship HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, and joint operational command at 1* level whilst serving as Commander of the UK’s Amphibious Task Group. He was appointed CBE in 2020. Ashore he has completed numerous tours in the central staff of the Ministry of Defence and served as the British Naval Attaché in Washington D.C. He served as the Royal Navy's Force Generation Director, Rear Admiral Fleet Air Arm and Senior Responsible Owner of the Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier programme prior to his appointment to Second Sea Lord in January 2022. He was appointed KCB in 2025. He is a graduate of the US Naval War College (2004-05), the Higher Command and Staff Course (2011), the US CAPSTONE Course (2017) and UK Pinnacle (2021). He is President of Royal Navy Football, the chair of the Greenwich Hospital Advisory Board and a trustee of the Naval Children’s Charity.