Senior Navy Officer Calls For Faster Technological Innovation In New Era Of Maritime Operations

One of the Navy’s most senior officers is calling for the pace of technical innovation to increase as the service embarks on a new era.

Rear Admiral John Weale gave a speech today at the at the Royal Navy Maritime Innovation Conference at Strathclyde University in Glasgow. Speaking to Forces News at the event he said:

“We have to think differently and act differently to give us the cutting edge in war fighting. We need to be innovative and get it out to sea as soon as we can.”

The Rear Admirals thoughts on keeping the Royal Navy at the forefront of technology were also echoed by the hundreds that gathered to share their ideas on how to shape the future of the service.

One way in which ideas were gathered was through a competition designed to develop innovations specifically to help the submarine fleet.

The event wasn’t just about evolving military capabilities though, it also served as a platform to help inspire the naval technicians of the future.

The Royal Navy Stem Ambassador for Scotland, Lieutenant Commander Dave Pinder, said: “We recognise that for the scientists, for the engineers for the future we’ve got to grip people while they are young. We’re in for anything from pre-school all the way up to higher and advanced 18 year-olds.”