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New Second Sea Lord takes up role after traditional ceremony aboard HMS Victory
30 September 2025
The Royal Navy has today officially welcomed its new Second Sea Lord after a ceremony on HMS Victory.
Vice Admiral Paul Beattie has now formally taken over from outgoing Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell.
The handover took place on board Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory in Portsmouth.
The Second Sea Lord is responsible for the delivery of the Royal Navy’s future capabilities, strategy, and long-term programme, as well as being the Principal Personnel Officer.
Admiral Beattie said: “It is an immense honour to take up the role of Second Sea Lord. I do with humility and pride.
“Humility for I follow in the footsteps of Admiral Connell, whose leadership and unfaltering professionalism has left a lasting mark on our service. Pride because I know the privilege of serving our sailors, marines, civil servants, contractors and their families in this role.
“At its heart this job is about our people. Ships, submarines, aircraft and now autonomous systems are powerful symbols of our maritime strength – but it is our people, and the families that support them, that bring them to life.
“Their skill, courage and commitment make the Royal Navy what it is. My duty is to ensure they are trained, motivated, supported and valued, so that all can deliver to their full potential. “
It is an immense honour to take up the role of Second Sea Lord. I do with humility and pride.
Admiral Beattie joined the Royal Navy in 1989 and spent his early years conducting embargo enforcement in the Gulf, Northern Ireland and the Adriatic, before completing a second Northern Ireland tour as the Commanding Officer of the patrol vessel HMS Arun.
He served as Operations Officer in HMS York and Edinburgh, then as XO of HMS Westminster and Daring, before taking command of HMS Manchester.
Re-locating to the USA, he completed the Navy Senior Command Course at Newport, Rhode Island, before serving in the Pentagon on the USN Strategy Staff.
Promoted to Captain in 2014, he returned to the UK in 2015 to work on the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. He served as Chief of Staff to the UK Maritime Battle Staff and then as the Principal Staff Officer to Commander UK STRATCOM.
Promoted to Commodore, his assignments included Chief of Staff to Navy Command, the Head of the Navy Staff during the Defence Review.
Promoted to Rear Admiral, he became the Director Naval Staff in 2021, focusing on driving the delivery of effort to improve outcomes on operations and the lived experience for Royal Navy sailors.
A graduate of the US Naval War College, and the UK Higher Command Staff Course, he holds a MSc in Leadership and Management.