London, United Kingdom. UK chief of the defence staff Sir Richard Knighton was accused on Thursday of leaving British assets in the Middle East underprepared for war after reportedly rejecting proposals to deploy naval assets ahead of a conflict.
Report on national security council meeting
British political magazine The Spectator reported that the United Kingdom’s national security council met on February 27, the day before the beginning of the conflict, and that a national security adviser suggested deploying the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the region.
The magazine reported that Knighton responded: “We don’t need the carrier. We don’t need the Navy. We have an aircraft carrier – it’s called Cyprus”.
Akrotiri base cited as alternative
According to the report, Knighton pointed to the UK’s Royal Air Force launching jets from its Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus.
The Spectator reported that intelligence officials were appealing for “a range of options” to be put to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, but that Knighton refused, leaving officials “very, very cheesed off”. The report said Knighton has “lost the confidence” of Starmer’s office.
Conflicting accounts from The Telegraph
The report quoted sources as saying Knighton “has failed to give the prime minister military capability, but also diplomatic and political credibility”. However, The Telegraph cited sources saying the idea that Starmer has lost confidence in Knighton “couldn’t be further from the truth”.
The Telegraph also quoted sources saying Knighton’s comments about the HMS Prince of Wales “have probably been a bit flippant”, adding: “Richard is a fan of the carriers. But carriers have their time and place. Just because we have one, doesn’t mean we should use it.”
Those sources said it would be “far quicker and cheaper” to fly F-35 fighter jets to Akrotiri.
What do you think the reports suggest about how the UK weighs carrier deployments against air power based in Cyprus?