Navy Command (Royal Navy)

The Navy Command is the current headquarters body of the Royal Navy, and as of 2012 its major organisational grouping.[1] It is a hybrid, neither a command, nor simply an installation. Royal Navy official writings describe Navy Command Headquarters both as a physical site, on Whale Island, Hampshire, a collective formed of the most senior RN officers,[2] and as a budgetary grouping.

Navy Command
Active2010–present
Country United Kingdom
BranchRoyal Navy
TypeNaval "Hybrid" Headquarters
Part ofMinistry of Defence
Garrison/HQHMS Excellent, Whale Island, Hampshire
50°48′53.7″N 1°5′59.1″W
Commanders
Current
commander		Admiral Sir Ben Key

On 1 April 2006 the Fleet Top Level Budget was established.[3] A Top Level Budget (TLB) is the major financial accounting group of the MOD. On 1 April 2010 the Fleet TLB was renamed Navy Command. Navy Command is the Top Level Budget (holder) for the RN.[4] Navy Command supports the First Sea Lord in the management of the Command, and delivers the Service's current and future outputs as articulated in the Command Plan.[5]

History

The Royal Navy was historically divided into a number of fleets and ashore commands, prominent examples being the Home Fleet; Mediterranean Fleet; East Indies Station; and Far East Fleet. In the late 1960s the Home Fleet and Mediterranean Fleet were amalgamated into Western Fleet. In the 1970s Western Fleet and Far East Fleet were amalgamated into CINCFLEET.[6] At the same time, the post of Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth was merged with that of Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth to form Naval Home Command. As overseas bases continued to be reduced, the Navy's shore establishments became more concentrated in the UK, under Naval Home Command.

Henry Leach Building, Whale Island
West Battery, Whale Island

The purpose-built Headquarters at Whale Island, Portsmouth was opened in 2002 was named after Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach, the First Sea Lord during the Falklands War.

As of 2017 official descriptions said that the headquarters was based at Whale Island, but also includes the Command Centre in Northwood, and support staff in Portsmouth Naval Base.[7] As of 2017 it included:

Structure
Office of the Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy, Hierarchy Chart, 31 March 2016

The First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, is the Royal Navy's professional head and chairman of the Navy Board. He is responsible to the secretary of state for the fighting effectiveness, efficiency and morale of the Naval Service, and supports the Secretary of State for Defence in the management and direction of the Armed Forces.

The Fleet Commander exercises Full Command, on behalf of the First Sea Lord, over all Fleet Units, Battle Staffs, the Fleet Air Arm, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Royal Marines. He is responsible for the generation of units for tasking, and the operation of the Fleet in meeting standing commitments, conduct of current operations, and maintaining their contingent capability, as directed by Head Office and articulated in the Navy Command Plan.[8]

The Second Sea Lord leads Navy Command HQ and is responsible for the Development and Delivery of future and current capability in support of the Fleet Commander, as detailed in the Navy Command Plan.[8]

The previous office of the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Submarines) and Deputy Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, as of January 2017,[9] was disestablished under the Navy Command Transformation Programme, April 2020.[10]

Changes by 2020-2021 saw the Commander, UK Strike Force, take up command of the UKSTRKFOR Enterprise, including the Maritime Battle Staff. ** The Maritime Battle Staff appears to be a change of name for the previous Fleet Battle Staff. The Fleet Battle Staff, based in two locations (Portsmouth and Plymouth), was the operational planning department, that planned exercises and operations for large multinational naval and marine task groups across the globe.[11] But in actuality the Fleet Battle Staff was merely a collective name for the COMUKMARFOR, COMUKAMPHIBFOR, Commander UK Task Group (COMUKTG), and the 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters.[12]

Office of the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff

Updated where possible to 2020-2021:[13][14]

Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
  • Responsible for Chief of Staff HQ;
  • Chief Technical Officer; Chief Digital and Information Officer (all Commodores);
  • Director Force Generation, a Rear Admiral;
  • the three Naval Base Commanders;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Support;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Carrier Strike and Aviation;
  • Commanding Officer RNAS Yeovilton;
  • Deputy Director Maritime Warfare;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Land and Deputy Commandant General Royal Marines;
  • Surface Flotilla;
  • Deputy Director/Assistant Chief of Staff Ships;
  • DDAS & Commodore Royal Fleet Auxiliary;
  • Director Develop;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Maritime Capability;
  • Deputy Director Navy Capability Sponsor;
  • Director People and Training and Naval Secretary;
  • Deputy Director Navy Transformation (SCS1);
  • the Naval Assistant, Commodore Naval Legal Services (both Commodores);
  • Commander Maritime Reserves;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Medical; reportedly ACOS Training/DFOST;
  • Deputy Director People;
  • Head of Nuclear Department (SCS1);
  • Director Navy Acquisition;
  • Assistant Chief of Staff Future Support and Engineering;
  • Type 26 Frigate Programme Director and Head of Ship Acquisition.[13]
  • Fleet Commander
    • and subordinate senior officers

Director Navy Acquisition
  • Director Navy Acquisition[14]

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Capability)/Director Develop

Director Naval (Support)

Director Force Generation

Responsible for the Royal Navy’s Scheduling Authority, In-Service Capability Management, Intelligent Customer function and, discharging legislative Duty Holding Responsibilities/Risk to Life management.Director Force Generation’s Portfolio includes Deputy Director Ships, Deputy Director Submarines, Deputy Director Naval Aviation, Deputy Director Logistics, Deputy Director LS. Naval Bases Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth; Air stations Yeovilton and Culdrose, AFSUP and Logistics policy and wider.[13]

Director People and Training and Naval Secretary
  • Director People and Training and Naval Secretary (Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Personnel) merged into post of DP&T)[17][14]
    • Naval Assistant[13] (Previously titled Naval Assistant to the Naval Secretary)
    • Surgeon-Commodore Fleur Marshall, Assistant Chief of Staff (Medical), Navy Command, Head of the Royal Navy Medical Service. Marshall was in post as of 26 February 2019[18]
    • Commodore Naval Legal Services[13]
    • Deputy Director People[13]
    • Commander Maritime Reserves[9][13]
    • Deputy Director Future Training,[19] formerly known as Assistant Chief of Staff Training/Deputy Flag Officer, Sea Training,[9] also formerly had the separate post of Commander Core Naval Training.[9]
    • Commanding Officer Maritime Warfare School - under a Navy captain, not a Commodore. Commanding Officer Operational Training, (COM OT) replaced by Commander Fleet Operational Sea Training.[19]

Chaplain of the Fleet

Commander Operations

Commander United Kingdom Strike Force

Finance Director Navy
  • Finance Director (Navy)[9] is the chief financial officer of Navy Command's delegated budget and superintends the Command Secretariat, under the First Sea Lord & CNS.[14]

Assistant Chief of Staff Resources and Plans
  • The Assistant Chief of Staff Resources and Plans supports the Finance Director Navy in delivering financial objectives and adhering to the framework of legal, political, financial and regulatory authorities.[9]

Command Secretary
  • The Command Secretary is the senior civilian in Navy Command Headquarters responsible for civilian personnel, external accountability, resource management and certain aspects of planning.[9]

Deputy Finance Director, Navy
  • The Deputy Finance Director is responsible overall financially managing Navy Command and the head of the Navy Command Finance department.[9]

Head of Navy Effectiveness and Strategy
  • The Head of Navy Effectiveness and Strategy [9] superintends multidisciplinary project teams, specializing in policy, commercial and financial expertise he reports back to both the (FD(N) and ACNS(Pol).

Notes
  1. Office, Cabinet (January 2012). "Top Level Budgets(TLB): Navy Command: Major organisational grouping of the MOD.". The Civil Service Yearbook (48 ed.). Norwich, England: The Stationery Office Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 9781905262496.
  2. "Navy Command senior, as of April 2017 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Ministry of Defence UK. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018. Unit:Navy Command
  3. "Civilian Workforce by Grade Equivalence and Budgetary AR" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. London England: Ministry of Defence, Defence Analytical Services & Advice. p. 5. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  4. Hayman, Charles (2014). The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 2014-2015. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword. p. 14. ISBN 9781783463510.
  5. Ministry of Defence UK (26 April 2018). "Section 2 – Defence Operating Model Context" (PDF). data.parliament.uk. Parliament, United Kingdom. p. 1. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  6. "Royal Navy - Fleet Command and Organisation - Naval Home Command - Defence Equipment and Support - n2a2 - Armed Forces". armedforces.co.uk. R & F Defence Publications, 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  7. "Navy Command HQ, Royal Navy". royalnavy.mod.uk. Royal Navy, MOD, UK. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  8. Parliament United Kingdom (26 April 2018). "Defence Operating Model" (PDF). data.parliament.uk. London UK: Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  9. Government, H.M. "The Navy List" (PDF). royalnavy.mod.uk. H.M. Stationery Office, January, 2017, pp.6-9. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. "Submariners Association Newsletter In Depth 68" (PDF). Submariners Association. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  11. Government, H.M. "Fleet Battle Staff". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. National Archives, 17 April 2009. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  12. "Commander UK Amphibious Force". Archived from the original on 16 March 2011.
  13. Ministry of Defence (9 March 2022). "Navy Command senior, as of March 2021". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  14. Ministry of Defence 2020a, p. 28.
  15. "No. 63426". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 January 2018. p. 13220.
  16. Royal Navy 2019.
  17. "Navy News March 2020 Integrating the Way We Work". Navy News. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  18. "No. 62648". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 May 2019. p. 9041."The Arch Spring 2019 Old Reptonian news". The Arch Spring. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  19. Royal Navy (18 May 2020). "Royal Navy Training Appointments" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.com/. Whatdotheyknow. Retrieved 20 May 2020. In response to all parts of your request, the post of Assistant Chief of Staff Training has ceased to exist... has endured in the new Position of Deputy Director Future Training
  20. Mackie, Colin (20 May 2020). "Admirals Current May 2020" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 23 May 2020. Commodore Craig Wood: Commander, Surface Flotilla, April 2020
  21. Mackie, Colin (29 May 2020). "Admirals May 2020" (PDF). gulabin.com. Colin Mackie. Retrieved 30 May 2020. Commodore James Le S. Perks: Commander, Submarine Flotilla, April 2020

References

Further reading
  • Grove. D. Philip and Redford. Duncan. (2014). "The Royal Navy: A History Since 1900". I.B.Tauris. IBAN: 9780857735072.
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