A report on the Investigation into Unacceptable Behaviour in the Submarine Service has been published on 4 October. The First Sea Lord Sir Ben Key KCB CBE ADC made the following statement: “The conclusion of the investigation into misconduct in the Submarine Service marks an inflection point for the Royal Navy.
The investigation has confirmed misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours did occur during the investigation period, and this is intolerable. During the investigation process, Ms Brook made several requests for redress. Those that are within my gift to offer – I have. When I met with Ms Brook this morning, I apologised to her personally and unreservedly, praising her courage in coming forward. As the Head of the Royal Navy, today I also offer a public apology, both to Ms Brook and to any personnel – past or present – that have been subject to any form of unacceptable behaviour during their time in service. I am truly sorry.
While much has been done to improve the experiences of personnel in the Royal Navy in recent years, such as establishing zero tolerance for unacceptable behaviours and improving avenues to raise concerns, there is more to be done. Poor practices and behaviours in the past that may have been normalised in some quarters should never have been considered acceptable, and they have no place today. We must institute a culture that does not allow space for this behaviour to exist, and we must deal with perpetrators swiftly, without fear or favour, which I can confirm we have now done. Internal action has been taken against a number of individuals, up to and including discharge from the Service.
Going forward, we must be steadfast in consolidating this progress and defending all those who serve anywhere in the Royal Navy – whether sailor, marine, merchant seafarer or civil servant. Our people must be able to perform their duties with dignity, pride, and respect.While the investigation has now concluded and been assured by an independent member of King’s Counsel, this is not the end. I have accepted the recommendations from the investigation in full, and they will be included with work I directed in the aftermath of Ms Brook coming forward. These include the establishment of a new Head of Culture team. Led by a Commodore and reporting directly to the Navy Board, this team is instituting and assuring better command cultures and organisational behaviours across the Royal Navy. We have also reviewed submariner leadership training and created a dedicated and revised training package, which increases focus on putting people at the heart of decision making and ethics in Command. We have not waited to act. The leadership of the Submarine Service has my full support in instituting these recommendations and will be held accountable for doing so.
I have commended the courage of Ms Brook coming forward, and the outcome of this investigation may prompt others to share their stories of unacceptable behaviour. I acknowledge the bravery that this takes and reassure anyone reading this that the Royal Navy will do whatever it can within the bounds of the law, and the evidence available, to investigate wrong-doing properly and without hesitation. Today, a redacted version of the full report and executive summary will be published online.
We must be better than this and do better than we have.”
The Executive Summary of the Report can be downloaded at:
The full report can be accessed at:
