Page 20 - The Cormorant 2018
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Maritime Combat Power Visit Wing Commander Jim Calvert RAF
 FOLLOWING THE LAND CAPABILITIES and Air Combat Power Visits, ACSC 21 concluded its study of UK Defence with the Maritime
Combat Power Visit (MCPV). The phase started in November 2017 with a week of academic study focusing on the UK as a maritime
nation and the role of the Royal Navy. A visit to Her Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth in March 2018 brought many of these concepts to life, during which the Course was exposed to a vast
array of maritime hardware including HMS Queen Elizabeth (the first of two new aircraft carriers), Type-45 Destroyer, Type-23 Frigate and Mine Counter-Measure vessels.
The academic element of the maritime phase reinforced the enduring significance of seapower for the UK. Furthermore, the importance of the National Shipbuilding Strategy to the British economy was thought provoking with the wider Defence contribution to the state. In particular, discussion over the recently announced Type 31e ‘export’ Frigate provided evidence of innovative ways in which the Royal Navy was approaching capability procurement.
The visit to Portsmouth provided a unique insight into the role, capabilities and contribution of the Royal Navy to the UK. On-board the Type-23 Frigate
HMS Somerset and the Type-45 Destroyer HMS Diamond, ACSC21 was exposed to the
living and operating conditions on board the Service’s capability backbone. Particularly striking was the tangible sense of teamwork and pride that every member of each
ship’s company exuded; keeping the ship operational was the output and every sailor understood how they contributed to it.
   























































































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