Fleet Commander Explained

The Fleet Commander is a senior Royal Navy post, responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the Naval Service. The Vice-Admiral incumbent is required to provide ships, submarines and aircraft ready for operations, and is based at Navy Command Headquarters.

The post was created in April 2012 following a reorganisation of the Royal Navy and a re-designation of the former role of Commander-in-Chief Fleet.^[1]

Responsibilities

The Fleet Commander's purpose is to provide ships, submarines and aircraft ready for any operations that the Government requires.^[1]

The Fleet Commander's major subordinates included as of September 2020:^[2]

• Commander Operations
• Commander United Kingdom Strike Force
• Director Force Generation - Commodore Steve Moorhouse was promoted to Rear Admiral and became Director 14 January 2022 on the promotion of Martin Connell to Vice Admiral and Connell's appointment as Second Sea Lord.^[3]
• Commandant General Royal Marines^[4]

The previous post of Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Training)/Flag Officer Sea Training^[5] was disestablished in May-June 2020. It was superseded by Commander Fleet Operational Sea Training, and in the process the senior Sea Training officer was regraded downwards from a Rear Admiral to a Commodore.^[6]

The British Army equivalent is Commander Field Army. The RAF's Deputy Commander (Operations) is the close equivalent of the two positions.^[7]

List of Fleet Commanders

Fleet Commander

Fleet Commander and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff[8]
Image	Rank	Name	Term began	Term ended
		Sir George Zambellas[9]	April 2012	December 2012
			December 2012	February 2016
Fleet Commander and Chief Naval Warfare Officer
		Ben Key[10]	February 2016	March 2019
		Jerry Kyd[11]	March 2019	September 2021
		Andrew Burns[12]	September 2021

Deputy Fleet Commander

• April–December 2012: Vice Admiral Sir Philip Jones^[13]
• Position Vacant^{[14] [15]}

See also

• List of serving senior officers of the Royal Navy

References

• Web site: Ministry of Defence Organogram. data.gov.uk. MOD 31 March 2016. 20 December 2017. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20170808114101/https://data.gov.uk/organogram/ministry-of-defence. 8 August 2017. dead.
• Web site: Royal Navy Directory 2017. Royal Navy. 8 August 2018. en.

External links

• Fleet Commander

Notes and References

1. Web site: Navy Board.
2. Web site: How Defence Works Version 6.0 Sep2020 . . 23 September 2020 . assets.publishing.service.gov.uk . UK MOD . 3 November 2020 . page 28.
3. Web site: A real privilege to assume the role of Director Force Generation for the Royal Navy. I have the telescope!!.
4. Web site: Freedom of Information Response. Ministry of Defence. 17 December 2020.
5. Web site: Navy Command senior, as of April 2017 - GOV.UK . www.gov.uk . MOD UK . 9 August 2018 . en . 30 April 2018.
6. Web site: Who is the new Flag Officer Sea Training . . 27 April 2020 . whatdotheyknow.com . Whatdotheyknow . 28 April 2020 . In response to your request, I can advise you that the title Flag Officer Sea Training will cease to exist on 1 May 2020 and is replaced by the 1* post of Commander Fleet Operational Sea Training.
7. Web site: Air Command senior, as of September 2012 - GOV.UK. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
8. Web site: Navy Command senior, as of March 2014. 26 November 2016.
9. http://www.defenceviewpoints.co.uk/defence-news/ups-and-outs-october-2012 Ups and outs: October 2012
10. Web site: Royal Navy appoints new Fleet Commander. Royal Navy. 10 February 2016.
11. Web site: Royal Navy Appoints New Senior Officers. 18 February 2019. Forces.net. 6 March 2019.
12. Web site: Royal Navy appoints new Fleet Commander. 24 September 2021. Royal Navy. 24 September 2021.
13. http://subseaworldnews.com/2012/07/30/royal-navys-deputy-fleet-commander-visits-uk-hydrographic-office/ Royal Navy’s Deputy Fleet Commander Visits UK Hydrographic Office
14. Web site: Navy senior staff, March 2013.
15. News: Peter . Jeff . Fleet training . 13 April 2024.