It is difficult to appreciate, seen from the outside, to what extent the British armies were worried about their fate before the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announces a policy of strengthening Defense resources last week, taking the opposite to several weeks, and even months, of anxious speculation. Of the many worries that were sapping morale among the British military, the possible early withdrawal from service of the two assault ships, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, was not the most spectacular nor the most publicized, but it was probably one of those which could most handicap the real military capabilities of Her Majesty's armies.
In fact, when questioned by Julian Lewis, the chairman of the Security and Intelligence Committee of the Parliament, on the subject, the Minister of State for Defense, Jeremy Quin, confirmed that HMS Albion would remain in operation within the the Royal Navy until 2033, and HMS Bulwark until 2034, it was undoubtedly a great relief, both for the Royal Navy which operates the ships, as well as for the Royal Marines for whom they constitute the means of transport of choice, and for all the British defense community, which was worried about seeing the country deprived of naval projection forces, which would have been a first for more than a century.
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