What is the most glaring missing capability in the current Royal Navy?
Short answerNumbers overall, especially strike aircraft, submarines, escorts, anti-ship weapons, and large amphibious flight decks.
NotesThe first problem is numbers across the fleet, followed by connected shortages in large flight decks, anti-ship weapons, submarines, escorts, and F-35s. British anti-ship strike was meant to come from aircraft and submarines. Too few of both makes ship-launched strike weapons more urgent. Designing Albion and Bulwark as LHDs would also have added large amphibious aviation decks.