UK Parliament Defence Committee publishes HSC evidence on amphibious operations

10th January, 2018

The Human Security Centre (HSC) is pleased to announce that the House of Commons Defence Committee has published the evidence submitted by Senior Fellow Dr Rowan Allport on the Royal Marines and the UK’s amphibious capability

You can read the full evidence on the website of the UK parliament.

Executive Summary

The Albion class landing ships are a crucial component of the UK’s ability to deliver and sustain ground forces in coastal environments.

• The Royal Marines and their supporting amphibious units have suffered from substantial cuts to numbers and deployability since 2010.
• There are no capabilities possessed by, or on the horizon for, the UK’s armed forces that can replace either the Albion class or an adequately sized and equipped Royal Marines.
• Due to political pressure, it is possible that further significant cuts to the Royal Marines and the UK’s amphibious capabilities will be substituted for by reductions in other Royal Navy assets: this would also be an unacceptable outcome of the current defence review.

Image: Royal Marines practice an amphibious landing from HMS Albion (source: MoD/Crown Copyright)