Largest naval infrastructure programme\u00a0launched\u00a0since the end of the Cold War.<\/p>\n
Programme will\u00a0support thousands\u00a0of skilled jobs in Scotland,\u00a0South West\u00a0England and on the Solent.<\/p>\n
Additional\u00a0\u00a3240m in\u00a0funding provided for RAF\u00a0support and \u00a0logistics\u00a0contracts\u00a0benefitting\u00a0Scotland.<\/p>\n
Critical\u00a0naval\u00a0bases\u00a0will\u00a0have\u00a0new docking ports\u00a0and\u00a0refitted\u00a0buildings\u00a0thanks to\u00a0record investment in the biggest upgrade programme in decades.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Visiting HMNB Clyde\u00a0today, Defence Minister Luke Pollard\u00a0MP confirmed\u00a0\u00a326 billion investment over ten years to modernise the Royal Navy\u2019s three\u00a0main\u00a0naval bases: HMNB Clyde, HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The funding, which was\u00a0confirmed in the\u00a0recent\u00a0Defence\u00a0Investment Plan,\u00a0is the largest programme of naval infrastructure investment since the end of the Cold War.<\/p>\n
It will transform\u00a0bases into warfighting-ready facilities that directly\u00a0improve\u00a0Royal Navy readiness,\u00a0availability\u00a0and lethality. Upgrades will\u00a0see\u00a0waterfront infrastructure\u00a0modernised,\u00a0and\u00a0new\u00a0Single Living\u00a0Accommodation\u00a0built\u00a0for our Armed Forces.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scotland is at the heart of this\u00a0new\u00a0investment. HMNB Clyde \u2014 the home of the UK\u2019s nuclear deterrent and the Royal Navy\u2019s submarine centre of specialisation \u2014 will benefit from one of the most significant and sustained programmes of UK Government investment in Scotland in the coming decades,\u00a0with\u00a0economic benefits flowing across the West of Scotland through industrial partners\u00a0based in the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The threats facing the United Kingdom are real and they are growing. This Government is not waiting \u2014 we are acting now to ensure our Royal Navy has the bases and infrastructure it needs to be ready to fight. This \u00a326 billion investment is the largest in our naval bases since the Cold War, and Scotland is central to it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clyde\u00a0is critical to our nation\u2019s defence. This investment\u00a0is\u00a0securing thousands of jobs\u00a0up and down the country\u00a0and strengthening our Armed Forces for the challenges of today and the future.<\/p>\n
New training facilities,\u00a0out-of-water\u00a0engineering\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0and\u00a0research and development capabilities\u00a0will be provided through the regeneration and upgrade programmes,\u00a0ultimately\u00a0supporting\u00a0Navy readiness and lethality into the future.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alongside the naval investment, the Minister also confirmed over \u00a3240 million\u00a0in RAF sustainment contracts benefiting Scotland, supporting\u00a0more than 380 jobs. Boeing Defence UK has been awarded a \u00a3115.2 million, two-year contract extension to sustain the RAF\u2019s fleet of nine P-8 Poseidon maritime\u00a0patrol aircraft\u00a0operated\u00a0from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, safeguarding over 200 highly skilled jobs and more than 20 apprenticeships. A separate E-7 Wedgetail sustainment contract worth \u00a3127.5 million will sustain approximately 180 jobs, with 60\u201380 new roles projected and four further apprenticeships created.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said:<\/p>\n
Scotland is crucial to UK defence and this \u00a315.3 billion UK Government funding for some of our most critical military assets will make Britain safer at home, stronger abroad and deliver a defence dividend for Scottish communities.<\/p>\n
As home to\u00a0the Royal Navy Submarine Service and the UK\u2019s nuclear deterrent,\u00a0it\u2019s only right that Faslane –\u00a0Scotland\u2019s largest military establishment and second-biggest employment site with over 6,500 military and civilian personnel –\u00a0will be transformed with \u00a315.1 billion Defence Investment Plan funding into a modern, more efficient base, future-proofed for war-fighting.<\/p>\n
This, along with a further \u00a3240 million being confirmed to keep RAF Lossiemouth-based aircraft mission ready, means we are\u00a0investing in the capabilities,\u00a0infrastructure and people that keep us and our allies safe, while creating and supporting jobs and driving economic growth across Scotland for years to come.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the MOD has completed the purchase of\u00a0Finnart\u00a0Oil Terminal on the West of Scotland, a multi-million-pound acquisition\u00a0which\u00a0expands the Royal Navy\u2019s sovereign fuel-holding capacity and strengthens operational resilience at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. By making use of existing infrastructure, the investment delivers value for taxpayers while creating skilled local jobs and supporting the wider supply chain \u2014 and provides the additional space needed to progress the Clyde Transformation Programme, further reinforcing Scotland\u2019s central role in the UK\u2019s defence industrial base.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As part of the government\u2019s commitment to backing our key maritime industries on the River Clyde, \u00a320m is being invested in Inchgreen Marine Park to revitalise one of the largest operational dry docks in the UK \u2013 further strengthening our national and industrial resilience. The investment is supporting creation of 350 direct jobs and will provide a new skills centre.<\/p>\n
The ten-year programme\u00a0to upgrade the UK\u2019s naval bases\u00a0delivers directly on the Strategic Defence Review\u2019s commitment to warfighting readiness, and forms part of the Defence Investment Plan\u2019s \u00a3298 billion package to transform the UK\u2019s Armed Forces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Largest naval infrastructure programme\u00a0launched\u00a0since the end of the Cold War. Programme will\u00a0support thousands\u00a0of skilled jobs in Scotland,\u00a0South West\u00a0England…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294292,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-691183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}