What You Need to Know: The Royal Navy, once the pride of Britain’s global dominance, faces a significant decline in capability and relevance. British Defence Minister John Healey announced impending retirements of key ships and equipment, including the amphibious assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and the frigate HMS Northumberland.

-Even the Royal Navy's prized aircraft carriers are under scrutiny, with calls to mothball one of them. War games reveal the carriers’ vulnerability, raising questions about their utility in modern warfare dominated by advanced missile technology.

-Despite proponents' claims, the Royal Navy’s current state highlights the tension between tradition and the realities of 21st-century military threats.

"Rule, Britannia!, Britannia, rule the waves," is the famous line from James Thomson's 1740 poem, which was later set to music by Thomas Arne. Yet, today it is hardly close to the truth. Britannia doesn't rule the waves, and the Royal Navy is in a sorry state.

It could get worse.

This week, British Defence Minister John Healey warned that over the next five years, the service should expect to see a number of its ships retired, along with helicopters and even older unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

"These will not be the last difficult decisions I will have to make," Healey told parliament on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

The final two amphibious assault ships – HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark – are now on the chopping block, along with the Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland. All of the vessels will be retired by next spring.

There........

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