Britain to expand sub fleet for 'warfighting readiness'

The Advertiser

2 days ago

Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security.
Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline.
"The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces."
"When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready."
Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons.
The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion).
"With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added.
The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS.
In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability.
He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term.
Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific.
But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats.
Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security.
Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline.
"The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces."
"When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready."
Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons.
The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion).
"With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added.
The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS.
In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability.
He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term.
Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific.
But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats.
Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security.
Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline.
"The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces."
"When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready."
Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons.
The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion).
"With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added.
The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS.
In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability.
He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term.
Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific.
But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats.
Britain will expand its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet as part of a defence review that is designed to prepare the country to fight a modern war and counter the threat from Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security.
Monday's Strategic Defence Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of "warfighting readiness" and reverse its post-Cold War military decline.
"The moment has arrived to transform how we defend ourselves," Starmer told workers at BAE Systems' Govan shipbuilding site in Scotland, saying he would "end the hollowing out of our armed forces."
"When we are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, the most effective way to deter them is to be ready."
Britain will build up to 12 of its next-generation attack submarines, which are nuclear-powered but carry conventional non-nuclear weapons, to replace the current fleet of seven from the late 2030s, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Britain operates a separate fleet of submarines armed with nuclear weapons.
The government for the first time said a pre-existing program to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost SGT15 billion ($A31 billion).
"With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead program on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad," Defence Secretary John Healey added.
The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS.
In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the US by Europe, Starmer has already committed to increasing Britain's defence spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability.
He has promised to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027 and target a three per cent level over the longer term.
Despite cuts to the military budget in recent years, Britain still ranks alongside France as one of Europe's leading military powers, with its army helping to protect NATO's eastern flank and its navy maintaining a presence in the Indo-Pacific.
But the army, with 70,860 full-time trained soldiers, is the smallest since the Napoleonic era and the government has said it must rebuild given the growing strategic threats.