The leader of Britain’s Royal Navy has outlined a “Hybrid Navy” built on a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms to ensure it can continue to defend the nation and operate overseas. In a speech at the defense and security think tank, the Royal United Services Institute ( RUSI ), the First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said that there was still very much a place for the navy in the modern world, but that adopting new technology is critical to its future capabilities. This need has become clear as threats have evolved over the past decade, and has been brought into sharp focus by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the more recent conflict in the Middle East, he said. The shutting of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping by Iran demonstrated two things: that sea power is vital to maintain the free flow of trade and uphold freedom of navigation, but also the vulnerability of traditional platforms in the face of new threats, such as low-cost suicide drones.…