General Sir Gwyn Jenkins Appointed First Sea Lord of Royal Navy After Admiral Key Removal

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has been appointed as the new First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, marking the first time a Royal Marine has held this traditionally admiral-ranked position. He succeeds Admiral Sir Ben Key, who was removed from his post amid a misconduct investigation, a rare and controversial transition in Royal Navy leadership. Jenkins has a distinguished military career, including command roles in the Special Boat Service, senior operational deployments, and strategic advisory positions within the UK government. His appointment comes at a critical time for the Royal Navy, which faces modernization challenges amid a shrinking fleet and issues with new aircraft carriers and submarines. Jenkins has emphasized the need to accelerate the Navy's return to a war-fighting force capable of meeting current global defense demands. However, his selection has attracted scrutiny due to his involvement in rejecting Afghan commando resettlement applications amid ongoing inquiries into alleged war crimes involving UK special forces.