Latest news with #submarines
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
UK politics live: Labour reveals new nuclear programme and submarines ahead of Starmer defence review
Britain will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15 billion in its warhead programme, Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce. The government will unveil its strategic defence review today. Significant investment in the UK warhead programme this parliament and maintaining the existing stockpile are among the 62 recommendations that the government is expected to accept in full. Building the new submarines, which is part of the Aukus partnership with the US and Australia, will support 30,000 highly skilled jobs into the 2030s as well as 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles across the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence said. The £15 billion investment into the warhead programme will back the government's commitments to maintain the continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent, build a new fleet of Dreadnought submarines and deliver all future upgrades. From the late 2030s, the fleet of up to 12 SSN-Aukus conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines will replace seven Astute-class attack submarines the UK is due to start operating. UK to build up to 12 new attack submarines and invest £15bn in warheads The UK will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15 billion in its warhead programme, the prime minister will announce today as the government unveils its strategic defence review. Significant investment in the UK warhead programme this parliament and maintaining the existing stockpile are among the 62 recommendations that the government is expected to accept in full. Building the new submarines, which is part of the Aukus partnership with the US and Australia, will support 30,000 highly skilled jobs into the 2030s as well as 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles across the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Britain to ‘send message to Moscow' with 12 new nuclear-powered submarines
Britain plans to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack Submarines amid rising global threats, according to an upcoming defence review by Sir Keir Starmer. The Ministry of Defence will allocate £15bn to develop new warheads for the UK's nuclear deterrent as part of a broader effort to enhance the country's war readiness. Defence Secretary John Healey emphasised the need to confront Russian aggression and ensure Britain 's security, highlighting daily cyber attacks from Russia targeting the UK's defence systems. On Sunday, Mr Healey described the review as a 'message to Moscow '. The 130-page defence review, expected to be published on Monday, includes 62 recommendations and aims to boost investments in shipbuilding, drone technology, and cyber defence, potentially creating tens of thousands of skilled jobs. The nuclear investments are projected to support 30,000 skilled jobs across the UK and will necessitate significant infrastructure upgrades at the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Aldermaston.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK to build up to 12 new attack submarines
The UK will build up to 12 new attack submarines, the prime minister will announce as the government unveils its major defence review on Monday. The review is expected to recommend the armed forces move to "warfighting readiness" to deter growing threats faced by the UK. Sir Keir Starmer will say up to 12 conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines will replace the UK's current fleet from the late 2030s onwards. The prime minister is also expected to confirm the UK will spend £15bn on its nuclear warhead programme. Sir Keir will say that, alongside the UK's nuclear-armed submarines, the new vessels would keep "Britain and Nato safe for decades". The Strategic Defence Review, commissioned by Labour, will shape the UK's armed forces for years to come. Led by ex-Labour defence secretary Lord Robertson it will make 62 recommendations, which the government is expected to accept in full. Defence review to send 'message to Moscow', says Healey Healey expects UK to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2034 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 Defence Secretary John Healey has signalled 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". Building the new submarines will support 30,000 jobs into the 2030s as well as 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate roles across the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence said. 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." 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. In the Astute series, HMS Agamemnon, was launched last October and Agincourt is under construction. The next generation of attack submarines that will replace them, SSN-AUKUS, have been developed with the Australian Navy under a deal agreed in 2023 by the Conservative government. Meanwhile work on modernising the warheads carried by Trident Missiles is already under way. The £15bn investment into the warhead programme 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 ageing 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. Commitments on military spending come against the background of the government's wider review of departmental spending due later this month and have also taken on renewed importance given the Ukraine war, and pressure from Nato and US President Donald Trump for European countries to step up defence spending. Sir Keir has committed the government to spending 2.5% of the UK's national income on defence by 2027, up from 2.3%, but has faced pressure to commit to 3%. Healey said the target will be hit by 2034 but the Conservatives say the threshold should be hit earlier. The Liberal Democrats have also argued for a 3% spending target. Shadow defence 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. Head of NATO, Mark Rutte has called on allies to spend 3.5% of its GDP on defence, with a further 1.5% on defence related expenditure. The government has said it wants Britain to be the leading European nation within the NATO alliance but that might prove difficult when a significant number of allies exceed the UK's military spending. It says its review will reverse decades of underinvestment in Britain's armed forces. But it remains to be seen if the investment will be enough. The ambitions of past defence reviews have rarely been matched by resources.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK to expand submarine fleet as defence review calls for 'warfighting readiness'
By William James LONDON (Reuters) -Britain will increase the size of its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet, the government has announced ahead of a defence review expected to say the country must invest billions to be ready and equipped to fight a modern war. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defence capabilities after U.S. 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", spelling out changing security threats and which defence technologies are needed to counter them. "We know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression," defence minister John Healey said in a statement. 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 programme to develop a new nuclear warhead to replace the model used by that fleet would cost 15 billion pounds. "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," Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, U.S. and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. REVERSE DECLINE In light of Trump's decision to upend decades of strategic reliance on the U.S. 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% of GDP by 2027 and target a 3% level over the longer term. On Sunday he warned Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces. In the days running up to the Strategic Defence Review, which Starmer commissioned shortly after taking office last July, the government has announced plans to spend billions on munitions plants, battlefield technology and military housing. Juggling severely strained public finances, a slow-growing economy and declining popularity among an increasingly dissatisfied electorate, Starmer has sought to cast increased spending on defence as a way to create jobs and wealth. "This plan will ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering a defence dividend of well-paid jobs up and down the country," he is expected to say in a speech launching Monday's review.
Arab News
12 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
UK to expand submarine fleet as defense review calls for ‘warfighting readiness'
LONDON: Britain will increase the size of its nuclear-powered attack submarine fleet, the government has announced ahead of a defense review expected to say the country must invest billions to be ready and equipped to fight a modern war. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, like other leaders across Europe, is racing to rebuild his country's defense capabilities after US President Donald Trump told the continent it needed to take more responsibility for its own security. Monday's Strategic Defense Review will call for Britain's armed forces to move to a state of 'warfighting readiness,' spelling out changing security threats and which defense technologies are needed to counter them. 'We know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression,' defense minister John Healey said in a statement. 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 Defense 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 15 billion pounds. '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,' Healey added. The new submarines will be a model jointly developed by the UK, US and Australia under the security partnership known as AUKUS. REVERSE DECLINE 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 defense spending in an attempt to reverse a long-term decline in its military capability. He has promised to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027 and target a 3 percent level over the longer term. On Sunday he warned Britain must be ready to fight and win a war against states with advanced military forces. In the days running up to the Strategic Defense Review, which Starmer commissioned shortly after taking office last July, the government has announced plans to spend billions on munitions plants, battlefield technology and military housing. Juggling severely strained public finances, a slow-growing economy and declining popularity among an increasingly dissatisfied electorate, Starmer has sought to cast increased spending on defense as a way to create jobs and wealth. 'This plan will ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering a defense dividend of well-paid jobs up and down the country,' he is expected to say in a speech launching Monday's review.
