Defence secretary Ben Wallace questions Royal Navy balance between ships and submarines as he launches major review

Ben Wallace has asked naval chiefs to assess the ‘balance’ between the surface and submarine fleets, which has 27 major battleships and 11 submarines.

The defence secretary pointed to the emerging threat of surveillance technology and long-range weapons in nations such as China and Russia as a cause for concern.

Speaking to The Telegraph in Barrow-in-Furness at the commissioning of HMS Astute, Mr Wallace said: ‘We’re planning on growing our surface fleet, but is our sub-sea fleet big enough?

‘If it isn't, do we trade one off against the other [or] do we find money from elsewhere?’

He added: “We should ask ourselves what the role is for sub-sea in the future.

‘I’m commissioning a review to determine if we have the right balance between the surface and sub-sea fleets for the future.

‘Our adversaries cannot replicate the skills we have in Barrow or the expertise of our submariners and they may well be the deciding factor in a future conflict.’

The defence secretary’s comments came as the navy welcomes HMS Anson, the fifth of the new Astute-class submarines to join the fleet, which includes HMS Astute, Ambush, Artful and Audacious.

The £1.3bn submarines comes armed with a combination of up to 38 Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk Block V cruise missiles capable of destroying targets up to 1,000 miles away.

The major review is expected to take no longer than six months, while a wider review of foreign, defence and security policy is expected from from the new prime minister.