A written parliamentary query has revealed the variety of senior officers at present serving throughout the British Military, Royal Navy and Royal Air Power.
The figures, launched on 7 November 2025 in response to a query by Conservative MP Neil O’Brien, present that as of 1 July 2025 there have been 211 Common Officers within the Military, 134 Admirals and Flag Officers within the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and 126 Air Officers of Air Rank within the Royal Air Power.
The Ministry of Defence offered the next breakdown:
| Service | Variety of senior officers (OF-6 to OF-10) |
|---|---|
| Royal Navy / Royal Marines | 134 |
| British Military | 211 |
| Royal Air Power | 126 |
The query, submitted to the Ministry of Defence on 29 October, additionally requested for the variety of commanding officers of Royal Navy submarines and Royal Air Power frontline squadron commanders. Parliamentary Underneath-Secretary for Defence Louise Sandher-Jones offered the response, citing operational safety as a purpose for withholding these figures.
“The Ministry of Defence doesn’t routinely disclose the educated power of particular person branches or specialisations as to take action may, or could be more likely to, prejudice the safety of the Armed Forces,” she mentioned. “For that reason, I’m withholding the reply to components D and E of this query.”
It is a uncommon official snapshot of the UK’s senior command construction.
Though the titles of common, admiral and air marshal typically evoke photos of battlefield or fleet command, nearly all of these senior officers serve in administrative, strategic or technical roles reasonably than direct command. This distribution is typical of recent armed forces, the place senior ranks oversee procurement, coaching, functionality growth and coordination with NATO and allied companions.