Latest news with #Astute
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Queen Camilla gets historic title with Royal Navy
Queen Camilla has become the first woman to be named Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom. The Royal Navy has confirmed the title was bestowed on the monarch by her husband King Charles on Wednesday (16.07.25), one day before her 78th birthday. In a statement, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins RM, said: "We are honoured to welcome Her Majesty The Queen to HM Naval Base Devonport. "Her Majesty's visit has been a tremendous boost to morale, and the honorary appointment reflects the high regard in which Her Majesty is held by all of us.' He added that her appointment would 'further enhance Her Majesty's relationship with the Service". The queen is the first woman and only the second member of the Royal Family to be given the title, which can only be appointed by the sovereign on the nomination of the First Sea Lord. Before being named Vice Admiral, Queen Camilla visited HMS Astute at the Devonport Naval Base. During the visit, she inspected a Royal Guard of submariners, and went aboard Astute's deck for a photo with those who have commanded the boast over the past two decades. The HMS Astute's first commssion was formally ended, with the Ensign and Union Flag lowered as the National Anthem played. Following the formal ceremonies, Queen Camilla and King Charles joined a garden party on the grounds of HMS Drake. Chief Petty Officer Stuart 'Splash' Ashdown was a member of the commissioning crew of Astute, and he was present for the end of the first chapter of its career. In a statement, he added: 'It's nice to come full circle – and meet the Queen again. 'She is constantly in touch, sending letters, Christmas cards and the like when we're away. 'For the crew, today is an important event. Every member of HMS Astute's crew has put a lot of work in over the past 15 years, but the current crew especially, to keep her at sea and provide an operational platform.
The Advertiser
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Australia has to stop being so dumb or things will get out of control
Australia now faces four blindingly obvious national pitfalls which, if not met full on, will cause us to tumble into something resembling what Paul Keating called a banana republic. Keating's was a good wake-up call which worked at the time, and we need another one. The four pitfalls that need an urgent recalibration are as follows. Unsustainable international trade; a wobbly defence-security position; public-finance arrangements that fuel massive inequality and intergenerational unfairness; and out-of-control immigration. Let's outline the festering sores first. International trade: At present Australia exports about $140 billion of low-grade iron ore; $80 billion in LNG; $40 billion worth of coal, three-quarters of which is poor brown coal used to generate electricity. Very little tax is paid, and foreign shareholders get most of the benefit. And we import $30 billion plus in refined fossil fuel. Long-term this is disastrous. As the world realises that there is a sun in the sky that delivers energy free, our coal will become worthless. As the world, ever steel-dependent and energy-aware, realises that low-grade iron ore is not worth the transport costs of importing it, we will have to work out a way to refine it here: use it or lose it. Importing $30 billion worth of fuel is silly when we have the technology and the roof and ground space to generate all the power needed to drive vehicles without any fuel. This transition should happen as quickly as possible. Defence-security: Australia has always been on the apron strings of Britain or the US. As Britain withdrew to its own in 1942 after the fall of Singapore, we turned to the US. Now the US is withdrawing to its own. Neither of them gave two hoots about Australia. Give us your bodies and money for our wars is all they wanted. At present, we are committed to a $350-billion-plus program to develop over more than a decade a handful of nuclear-powered submarines and in the meantime to obtain two or three Virginia-class second-hand ones from the US. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but only for America. We have already paid the US $500 million with no submarine in sight, or ever likely to be. This is because we were dumb enough to sign up to a deal, AUKUS, which allows the US not to deliver any submarines without any penalty through a get-out clause. How many lemons do we have to buy from this used-car salesman (Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq) before we realise that we are being dudded and become more self-reliant. Under AUKUS, the British are supposed to design and jointly build the new AUKUS-class nuclear-powered submarine. But Britain is struggling to maintain and replace its nine Astute and Vanguard class nuclear submarines with the new Dreadnought class. Another new class, AUKUS, is more a pipedream than a pipeline. $350 billion for eight pieces of metal under the sea. is so dumb. Ukraine drove the whole Russian fleet out of the Black Sea with some homemade drones. Worse, the US is pressing us to commit to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and to commit to join in any war with China over Taiwan. We are paying for submarines we do not need with money we do not have to fight enemies that we need not provoke. This unreliable US president who does not share our values should cause us to rethink the America alliance. What we need is enough weaponry to ensure that a potential invader would get such a bloodied nose as to deter them - a purely defensive posture. Public finance: Australia's tax system is an inequitable quagmire. People using their labour get taxed around 30 per cent. People with capital earnings pay a lot less or next to nothing. Treasurer Jim Chalmers to his credit has convened a productivity summit. He cited the book Abundance by US journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson which described how notionally progressive environmental and social-cause regulation was clogging the provision of affordable housing. Yes, progressives should be concerned that over-regulation can stifle the very ends that want. But the Abundance was more than that. It also argued that we could have abundance (of cheap or free energy) if over-regulation of the construction of renewables and sabotage by the fossil industry were removed. They argued that the broad masses could also have abundance if the ultra-wealthy paid more tax. Chalmers has also flagged tax reform. It is a good start. We do not want capitalists salivating at the thought of deregulation and ignoring tax reform. We have been there before and there has been no abundance or trickle down for those below. Immigration: Australia should drastically reduce its immigration program. The level of immigration has nothing to do with race because Australia has a non-racial immigration program, so whatever way you change the numbers - up or down - race has nothing to do with it. READ MORE: It is about economics, the environment, and quality of life. In the 2023-24 financial year, Australia's net overseas migration was 446,000 people. This is the main reason we have a housing crisis; congestion; and an infrastructure crisis generally. Our universities are less places to educate and train our people than factories to sell overseas students tickets to permanent residency - headed by CEOs on million-dollar salaries. In summary, Australia has to stop being so dumb and stop giving so much away - untaxed resources; money to the US and British military-industrial complex; tax breaks and avoidance schemes for the uber-wealthy; an out-of-control migrant intake; and allowing the fossil industries to expand and profit as if there is no climate crisis or a cheaper and better renewable alternative. Australia now faces four blindingly obvious national pitfalls which, if not met full on, will cause us to tumble into something resembling what Paul Keating called a banana republic. Keating's was a good wake-up call which worked at the time, and we need another one. The four pitfalls that need an urgent recalibration are as follows. Unsustainable international trade; a wobbly defence-security position; public-finance arrangements that fuel massive inequality and intergenerational unfairness; and out-of-control immigration. Let's outline the festering sores first. International trade: At present Australia exports about $140 billion of low-grade iron ore; $80 billion in LNG; $40 billion worth of coal, three-quarters of which is poor brown coal used to generate electricity. Very little tax is paid, and foreign shareholders get most of the benefit. And we import $30 billion plus in refined fossil fuel. Long-term this is disastrous. As the world realises that there is a sun in the sky that delivers energy free, our coal will become worthless. As the world, ever steel-dependent and energy-aware, realises that low-grade iron ore is not worth the transport costs of importing it, we will have to work out a way to refine it here: use it or lose it. Importing $30 billion worth of fuel is silly when we have the technology and the roof and ground space to generate all the power needed to drive vehicles without any fuel. This transition should happen as quickly as possible. Defence-security: Australia has always been on the apron strings of Britain or the US. As Britain withdrew to its own in 1942 after the fall of Singapore, we turned to the US. Now the US is withdrawing to its own. Neither of them gave two hoots about Australia. Give us your bodies and money for our wars is all they wanted. At present, we are committed to a $350-billion-plus program to develop over more than a decade a handful of nuclear-powered submarines and in the meantime to obtain two or three Virginia-class second-hand ones from the US. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but only for America. We have already paid the US $500 million with no submarine in sight, or ever likely to be. This is because we were dumb enough to sign up to a deal, AUKUS, which allows the US not to deliver any submarines without any penalty through a get-out clause. How many lemons do we have to buy from this used-car salesman (Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq) before we realise that we are being dudded and become more self-reliant. Under AUKUS, the British are supposed to design and jointly build the new AUKUS-class nuclear-powered submarine. But Britain is struggling to maintain and replace its nine Astute and Vanguard class nuclear submarines with the new Dreadnought class. Another new class, AUKUS, is more a pipedream than a pipeline. $350 billion for eight pieces of metal under the sea. is so dumb. Ukraine drove the whole Russian fleet out of the Black Sea with some homemade drones. Worse, the US is pressing us to commit to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and to commit to join in any war with China over Taiwan. We are paying for submarines we do not need with money we do not have to fight enemies that we need not provoke. This unreliable US president who does not share our values should cause us to rethink the America alliance. What we need is enough weaponry to ensure that a potential invader would get such a bloodied nose as to deter them - a purely defensive posture. Public finance: Australia's tax system is an inequitable quagmire. People using their labour get taxed around 30 per cent. People with capital earnings pay a lot less or next to nothing. Treasurer Jim Chalmers to his credit has convened a productivity summit. He cited the book Abundance by US journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson which described how notionally progressive environmental and social-cause regulation was clogging the provision of affordable housing. Yes, progressives should be concerned that over-regulation can stifle the very ends that want. But the Abundance was more than that. It also argued that we could have abundance (of cheap or free energy) if over-regulation of the construction of renewables and sabotage by the fossil industry were removed. They argued that the broad masses could also have abundance if the ultra-wealthy paid more tax. Chalmers has also flagged tax reform. It is a good start. We do not want capitalists salivating at the thought of deregulation and ignoring tax reform. We have been there before and there has been no abundance or trickle down for those below. Immigration: Australia should drastically reduce its immigration program. The level of immigration has nothing to do with race because Australia has a non-racial immigration program, so whatever way you change the numbers - up or down - race has nothing to do with it. READ MORE: It is about economics, the environment, and quality of life. In the 2023-24 financial year, Australia's net overseas migration was 446,000 people. This is the main reason we have a housing crisis; congestion; and an infrastructure crisis generally. Our universities are less places to educate and train our people than factories to sell overseas students tickets to permanent residency - headed by CEOs on million-dollar salaries. In summary, Australia has to stop being so dumb and stop giving so much away - untaxed resources; money to the US and British military-industrial complex; tax breaks and avoidance schemes for the uber-wealthy; an out-of-control migrant intake; and allowing the fossil industries to expand and profit as if there is no climate crisis or a cheaper and better renewable alternative. Australia now faces four blindingly obvious national pitfalls which, if not met full on, will cause us to tumble into something resembling what Paul Keating called a banana republic. Keating's was a good wake-up call which worked at the time, and we need another one. The four pitfalls that need an urgent recalibration are as follows. Unsustainable international trade; a wobbly defence-security position; public-finance arrangements that fuel massive inequality and intergenerational unfairness; and out-of-control immigration. Let's outline the festering sores first. International trade: At present Australia exports about $140 billion of low-grade iron ore; $80 billion in LNG; $40 billion worth of coal, three-quarters of which is poor brown coal used to generate electricity. Very little tax is paid, and foreign shareholders get most of the benefit. And we import $30 billion plus in refined fossil fuel. Long-term this is disastrous. As the world realises that there is a sun in the sky that delivers energy free, our coal will become worthless. As the world, ever steel-dependent and energy-aware, realises that low-grade iron ore is not worth the transport costs of importing it, we will have to work out a way to refine it here: use it or lose it. Importing $30 billion worth of fuel is silly when we have the technology and the roof and ground space to generate all the power needed to drive vehicles without any fuel. This transition should happen as quickly as possible. Defence-security: Australia has always been on the apron strings of Britain or the US. As Britain withdrew to its own in 1942 after the fall of Singapore, we turned to the US. Now the US is withdrawing to its own. Neither of them gave two hoots about Australia. Give us your bodies and money for our wars is all they wanted. At present, we are committed to a $350-billion-plus program to develop over more than a decade a handful of nuclear-powered submarines and in the meantime to obtain two or three Virginia-class second-hand ones from the US. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but only for America. We have already paid the US $500 million with no submarine in sight, or ever likely to be. This is because we were dumb enough to sign up to a deal, AUKUS, which allows the US not to deliver any submarines without any penalty through a get-out clause. How many lemons do we have to buy from this used-car salesman (Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq) before we realise that we are being dudded and become more self-reliant. Under AUKUS, the British are supposed to design and jointly build the new AUKUS-class nuclear-powered submarine. But Britain is struggling to maintain and replace its nine Astute and Vanguard class nuclear submarines with the new Dreadnought class. Another new class, AUKUS, is more a pipedream than a pipeline. $350 billion for eight pieces of metal under the sea. is so dumb. Ukraine drove the whole Russian fleet out of the Black Sea with some homemade drones. Worse, the US is pressing us to commit to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and to commit to join in any war with China over Taiwan. We are paying for submarines we do not need with money we do not have to fight enemies that we need not provoke. This unreliable US president who does not share our values should cause us to rethink the America alliance. What we need is enough weaponry to ensure that a potential invader would get such a bloodied nose as to deter them - a purely defensive posture. Public finance: Australia's tax system is an inequitable quagmire. People using their labour get taxed around 30 per cent. People with capital earnings pay a lot less or next to nothing. Treasurer Jim Chalmers to his credit has convened a productivity summit. He cited the book Abundance by US journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson which described how notionally progressive environmental and social-cause regulation was clogging the provision of affordable housing. Yes, progressives should be concerned that over-regulation can stifle the very ends that want. But the Abundance was more than that. It also argued that we could have abundance (of cheap or free energy) if over-regulation of the construction of renewables and sabotage by the fossil industry were removed. They argued that the broad masses could also have abundance if the ultra-wealthy paid more tax. Chalmers has also flagged tax reform. It is a good start. We do not want capitalists salivating at the thought of deregulation and ignoring tax reform. We have been there before and there has been no abundance or trickle down for those below. Immigration: Australia should drastically reduce its immigration program. The level of immigration has nothing to do with race because Australia has a non-racial immigration program, so whatever way you change the numbers - up or down - race has nothing to do with it. READ MORE: It is about economics, the environment, and quality of life. In the 2023-24 financial year, Australia's net overseas migration was 446,000 people. This is the main reason we have a housing crisis; congestion; and an infrastructure crisis generally. Our universities are less places to educate and train our people than factories to sell overseas students tickets to permanent residency - headed by CEOs on million-dollar salaries. In summary, Australia has to stop being so dumb and stop giving so much away - untaxed resources; money to the US and British military-industrial complex; tax breaks and avoidance schemes for the uber-wealthy; an out-of-control migrant intake; and allowing the fossil industries to expand and profit as if there is no climate crisis or a cheaper and better renewable alternative. Australia now faces four blindingly obvious national pitfalls which, if not met full on, will cause us to tumble into something resembling what Paul Keating called a banana republic. Keating's was a good wake-up call which worked at the time, and we need another one. The four pitfalls that need an urgent recalibration are as follows. Unsustainable international trade; a wobbly defence-security position; public-finance arrangements that fuel massive inequality and intergenerational unfairness; and out-of-control immigration. Let's outline the festering sores first. International trade: At present Australia exports about $140 billion of low-grade iron ore; $80 billion in LNG; $40 billion worth of coal, three-quarters of which is poor brown coal used to generate electricity. Very little tax is paid, and foreign shareholders get most of the benefit. And we import $30 billion plus in refined fossil fuel. Long-term this is disastrous. As the world realises that there is a sun in the sky that delivers energy free, our coal will become worthless. As the world, ever steel-dependent and energy-aware, realises that low-grade iron ore is not worth the transport costs of importing it, we will have to work out a way to refine it here: use it or lose it. Importing $30 billion worth of fuel is silly when we have the technology and the roof and ground space to generate all the power needed to drive vehicles without any fuel. This transition should happen as quickly as possible. Defence-security: Australia has always been on the apron strings of Britain or the US. As Britain withdrew to its own in 1942 after the fall of Singapore, we turned to the US. Now the US is withdrawing to its own. Neither of them gave two hoots about Australia. Give us your bodies and money for our wars is all they wanted. At present, we are committed to a $350-billion-plus program to develop over more than a decade a handful of nuclear-powered submarines and in the meantime to obtain two or three Virginia-class second-hand ones from the US. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, but only for America. We have already paid the US $500 million with no submarine in sight, or ever likely to be. This is because we were dumb enough to sign up to a deal, AUKUS, which allows the US not to deliver any submarines without any penalty through a get-out clause. How many lemons do we have to buy from this used-car salesman (Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq) before we realise that we are being dudded and become more self-reliant. Under AUKUS, the British are supposed to design and jointly build the new AUKUS-class nuclear-powered submarine. But Britain is struggling to maintain and replace its nine Astute and Vanguard class nuclear submarines with the new Dreadnought class. Another new class, AUKUS, is more a pipedream than a pipeline. $350 billion for eight pieces of metal under the sea. is so dumb. Ukraine drove the whole Russian fleet out of the Black Sea with some homemade drones. Worse, the US is pressing us to commit to spending 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence and to commit to join in any war with China over Taiwan. We are paying for submarines we do not need with money we do not have to fight enemies that we need not provoke. This unreliable US president who does not share our values should cause us to rethink the America alliance. What we need is enough weaponry to ensure that a potential invader would get such a bloodied nose as to deter them - a purely defensive posture. Public finance: Australia's tax system is an inequitable quagmire. People using their labour get taxed around 30 per cent. People with capital earnings pay a lot less or next to nothing. Treasurer Jim Chalmers to his credit has convened a productivity summit. He cited the book Abundance by US journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson which described how notionally progressive environmental and social-cause regulation was clogging the provision of affordable housing. Yes, progressives should be concerned that over-regulation can stifle the very ends that want. But the Abundance was more than that. It also argued that we could have abundance (of cheap or free energy) if over-regulation of the construction of renewables and sabotage by the fossil industry were removed. They argued that the broad masses could also have abundance if the ultra-wealthy paid more tax. Chalmers has also flagged tax reform. It is a good start. We do not want capitalists salivating at the thought of deregulation and ignoring tax reform. We have been there before and there has been no abundance or trickle down for those below. Immigration: Australia should drastically reduce its immigration program. The level of immigration has nothing to do with race because Australia has a non-racial immigration program, so whatever way you change the numbers - up or down - race has nothing to do with it. READ MORE: It is about economics, the environment, and quality of life. In the 2023-24 financial year, Australia's net overseas migration was 446,000 people. This is the main reason we have a housing crisis; congestion; and an infrastructure crisis generally. Our universities are less places to educate and train our people than factories to sell overseas students tickets to permanent residency - headed by CEOs on million-dollar salaries. In summary, Australia has to stop being so dumb and stop giving so much away - untaxed resources; money to the US and British military-industrial complex; tax breaks and avoidance schemes for the uber-wealthy; an out-of-control migrant intake; and allowing the fossil industries to expand and profit as if there is no climate crisis or a cheaper and better renewable alternative.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Voices: I'm a former submariner – here's what you need to know about Britain's new nuclear fleet
During the Cold War, and for a short time following the collapse of the Soviet empire, the United Kingdom had a fleet of submarines: the strategic deterrent, the hunter-killer fleet boats, and the diesel submarine flotillas. We could justly say that we could act – independently and with our allies – across the world, and in any theatre of war. Yet following the end of the Cold War, political decisions were made on the assumption that we no longer needed such capable forces; the peace had been won. We lost all of our diesel submarines with one sweep of the political pen; we reduced the number of SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines) from a combined force of 13 Swiftsure and Trafalgar class, replacing them with highly effective but limited numbers of the Astute class (seven in total); we whittled down the shore support that would keep the boats we had at sea for longer. We stopped investing in the shore facilities that would support our submarines and provide a decent home for our submariners. Numbers matter – it is a stark and irrefutable fact. From early in the last decade, it has become self-evident that there is a resurgent Russia. The military has known this for a considerable amount of time, and submariners never believed that the Cold War had ended. Unfortunately, most politicians have felt it unpalatable to accept the truth of the in-house briefings and the obvious facts. In reality, we have needed to make significant steps towards re-arming and increasing our fleet capability for a decade or more. This week's announcement, therefore, of the intent to procure 12 replacement SSNs for the Astute class vessels, is a very welcome political acknowledgement of a military reality – and may, in time, bring us back somewhere towards where we need to be to fulfil our standing obligations, nationally, internationally, and reactively. Increases in capability are important – they keep you at the cutting edge of war fighting and able to stand up in the most challenging of arenas – but so are raw numbers. You can have the most capable ship in the world, but if you only have one, it is vulnerable, either to mechanical failure or to enemy action. Only with numbers do you have some sort of tactical resilience and the ability to show that you can project maritime power and influence beyond your own borders. Over the past few years, the Royal Navy has suffered from a well-publicised lack of available Astute-class subs. While the reasons for this are complicated, a significant factor is the sparing strategy adopted by the Ministry of Defence. Without a decent cache of spares, a routine mechanical issue becomes an operational showstopper. A flotilla of seven SSNs provides some (but arguably nowhere near enough) strategic resilience to respond to international maritime demands. Once you have a submarine on a long maintenance period, two on short maintenance periods, two on operational stand-down periods and one with a short-term defect, you very quickly run out altogether. When balanced against the above availability, the permanent operational demands of having a submarine ready to protect home waters, plus one ready to deploy to protect longer-distance interests and one potentially supporting carrier-group operations or Nato exercises, means that there is no surge capacity or room for contingent operations. What this new announcement must not become is a short-term political statement that fails to materialise as a result of budgetary constraints. To give our fleet the tools to do the job of defending our nation, we must have at least 12 hunter-killer submarines. A further discussion could then be had about strengthening our strategic deterrent flotilla, and the rest of our maritime, land, and air-defence offering. The sledgehammer of Putin's military stance has finally cracked the UK's political nut. Let us hope that we turn this intent into a reality, sign the contracts, and start the process that will regrow our defensive capability into something that can properly deter and protect our nation from an increasingly risky maritime environment. David Bessell is a former career command-qualified submariner
Metro
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Inside UK's new £15,000,000,000 nuclear attack submarines
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The UK waters will soon be patrolled by 12 new 'apex predator' attack submarines. The military's weapon arsenal includes the secretive nuclear-powered and armed submarines, which only a select few will ever set foot in due to high-level security. The submarine arm of the Royal Navy, known as the Silent Service, operates a fleet of Trafalgar, Astute and Vanguard class vessels. Now, an upgrade is on the horizon after the government said that 12 new SSN-AUKUS submarines will be built as part of a £15 billion programme 'in response to the rapidly increasing threats' – namely, Russia – and to 'make Britain and Nato safe for decades to come.' Here is a recap of what the fuss around the SSN-AUKUS submarines is all about. The Ministry of Defence has been tight-lipped about the submarines' exact specs, but they will replace the seven-strong Astute class from the late 2030s onwards. Their deadly design allows them to patrol domestic and international waters without detection, and if needed, destroy other ships and submarines and even enforce a blockade for a long period. The name – SSN-AUKUS – comes from the security pact between Australia, the UK and the US formed in 2021, which led to the creation of the next-generation submarines. The new fleet will carry conventional weapons, but they will be nuclear-powered. In comparison, the Vanguard-class submarines are equipped with the controversial Trident missile system with nuclear warheads. One of the new submarines' task will be to protect the Trident nuclear missiles, which are already undergoing a warhead modernisation programme. The SSN system will remain the 'apex predator' for years to come, Navy Lookout said. Official information on the design is sparse, but the Navy Lookout put together an estimated look for the new fleet. The SSN-AUKUS subs will be largely modelled after the Dreadnought class, but they are likely to be larger than the current Astute fleet. This will provide extra space for heavier weapons and crew. One SSN-AUKUS is estimated to be 410ft long and weigh 9,200 tonnes Ice-strengthened and streamlined fin PWR3 nuclear reactor is located in the rear section Six 21-inch launch tubes for torpedoes, mines and small robot underwater vehicles near the front Optronic sensor masts – essentially a modern-day periscope to provide ultra-high definition view at night and during the day The weapon launch system will be based on the Virginia-class technologies developed in the US to allow advanced intelligence, surveillance, underwater warfare and strike operations, Naval Technologies said The submarines and the nuclear systems themselves will be built in the UK The new generation submarines are expected to carry submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCM), which can strike inland The weapons can penetrate protective 'anti-access and area denial bubbles,' which can be too dangerous for Navy ships, according to the Navy Lookout The new UK submarines will be built by BAE Systems at Barrow-in-Furness, while the nuclear propulsion units are manufactured at Rolls Royce in Derby, which the government said will support 30,000 jobs. Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression. 'With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead programme on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering on our Plan for Change with 30,000 highly-skilled jobs across the country.' The submarine plan comes after the government pledged to up the UK's defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 as the Prime Minister announced the strategic defence review. However, he refused to confirm whether the defence spending will reach 3% by the next parliament. The PM also announced at least six new munitions factories along with the £15 billion investment in nuclear warheads. He said: 'First, we are moving to war-fighting readiness as the central purpose 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, and frankly, to show them that we're ready to deliver peace through strength.' The second aim is to adopt a 'Nato-first' defence approach so that all actions strengthen the alliance. More Trending Innovation will also be accelerated at a 'wartime pace' to mee the 'threat of today and tomorrow, as the fastest innovator in Nato,' Sir Keir said. The UK defence announcement comes as the Russia-Ukraine war has intensified. Ukraine said it had blasted dozens of Russian nuclear bombers in a mass drone attack over the weekend. Meanwhile, peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegates concluded in Turkiye without a major breakthrough, although prisoner swaps were agreed on. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Families still haunted by RAF Chinook crash demand truth after nearly 30 years MORE: Royal Navy scrambled to monitor Russian ship loitering in UK waters MORE: Keir Starmer lashes out at Nigel Farage over 'Liz Truss 2.0 experiment'
Saudi Gazette
02-06-2025
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
UK to build up to 12 new attack submarines
LONDON — The UK will build "up to" 12 new attack submarines, the prime minister will announce, as the government unveils its major defense review on Monday. The new conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines will replace the seven-strong Astute class from the late 2030s onwards. The review is expected to recommend the armed forces move to "warfighting readiness" to deter growing threats faced by the UK. The prime minister is also expected to confirm the UK will spend £15bn on its nuclear warhead program. Sir Keir will say that, alongside the UK's nuclear-armed submarines, the new vessels would keep "Britain and Nato safe for decades". The threat posed by Moscow has been a key part of the government's pitch ahead of Monday's review, led by ex-Labour defense secretary Lord Robertson, which was commissioned by Labour shortly after it took office last July. The report will make 62 recommendations, which the government is expected to accept in full. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme ahead of its publication, Sir Keir said the danger posed by Russia "cannot be ignored" and the "best way" to deter conflict was to prepare for it. The government has committed to increasing UK defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of national income by 2027, a move welcomed by opposition parties amid a growing consensus on boosting military expenditure. But the run-up to the review's release has been dominated by a political row over when UK spending should hit the next milestone of 3%. The government says it has an "ambition" to hit the target by 2034 at the latest, after the next general election, but the Conservatives say the move - which would hike spending by around £20bn a year - should be met by the end of the decade. Sir Keir said he would only commit the government to a timescale when he knew how it could be paid for, adding a date would otherwise be "performative". Shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge said Labour's review should be "taken with a pinch of salt" unless the government showed there would be enough money to pay for it. The Liberal Democrats have said Labour's 2034 timeline is "far too late" and have suggested an earlier date should be found in cross-party talks. The party's defense spokesperson Helen Maguire called for a "concrete commitment" on funding to back up the submarines announcement, adding that Labour had left "serious questions" over how the project would be financed. PA Media Image shows Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in a white shirt and glasses, speaking to workers during a visit to Glass Futures in St Helens, Merseyside, on 29 May, 2025PA Media Other announcements in the review will include: Commitment to £1.5bn to build six new factories to enable an "always on" munitions production capacity Building up to 7,000 long-range weapons including missiles or drones in the UK, to be used by British forces Pledge to set up a "cyber and electromagnetic command" to boost the military's defensive and offensive capabilities in cyberspace Extra £1.5bn to 2029 to fund repairs to military housing £1bn on technology to speed up delivery of targeting information to soldiers Defense Secretary John Healey has signaled he is not aiming to increase the overall size of the Army before the next general election. On Sunday, he said his "first job" was to reverse a decline in numbers with a target to return to a strength of 73,000 full-time soldiers "in the next Parliament". The Astute class is the Royal Navy's current fleet of attack submarines, which have nuclear-powered engines and are armed with conventional torpedoes and missiles. As well as protecting maritime task groups and gathering intelligence, they protect the Vanguard class of submarines that carry the UK's Trident nuclear missiles. The sixth submarine in the current Astute series was launched last October, with the seventh, the final one in the series, currently under construction. The next generation of attack submarines that will replace them, SSN-AUKUS, have been developed with the Australian Navy under a deal announced in 2021 under the previous Conservative government. Meanwhile work on modernizing the warheads carried by Trident missiles is already under way. The £15bn investment into the warhead program will back the government's commitments to maintain the continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent. In his announcement on Monday, Sir Keir is to repeat a Labour manifesto commitment to deliver the Dreadnought class of nuclear-armed submarines, which are due to replace the aging Vanguard fleet from the early 2030s onwards. The MoD's Defence Nuclear Enterprise accounts for 20% of its budget and includes the cost of building four Dreadnought class submarines. — BBC
