Former Navy chief issues warning over ‘horrifying’ British submarines amid Russia threat
Britain’s submarine fleet is in a “dangerous situation” in the face of a growing underwater threat from Russia, a former navy chief has warned.
Speaking in Westminster, Labor colleague Lord West of Spithead said silent service was at its worst in 60 years of military service.
The former defense secretary told parliament it was “appalling” that there was not a single operational attack submarine in the UK last year.
He also expressed concern about the pressures facing the country’s ongoing nuclear deterrent at sea.
Lord West made his harsh comments as Defense Secretary John Healey announced plans to establish a new multi-million pound high-tech force to protect undersea cables and pipelines from Russian attacks.
The hybrid naval force, called Atlantic Bastion, will combine autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence with warships and aircraft to detect threats to underwater structure and protect them from interception.
Britain and its NATO allies have become increasingly concerned about the risk Moscow poses to the seabed cables and pipelines that carry much of Britain’s international telecommunications data and vital energy supplies such as electricity, oil and gas.
The activities of Russian spy ships such as Yantar, which have the capacity to sabotage these connections, also underline this.
The National Security Strategy Committee warned in a report in September that attacks on undersea infrastructure could cause “catastrophic disruption” to the financial and communications systems that Britons rely on.
Against this backdrop, Lord West told ministers: “Our submarine force is in a difficult situation – the worst situation in my 60 years of service.
“Repeated delays in ordering, lack of dry dock investment, inability to recruit and train the necessary nuclear personnel, delays in the training of those we have, lack of spare parts and lack of maintenance have all had negative consequences.
“Is our nation aware that this great maritime nation has had an attack submarine operational most of the time for the last year? Does our nation know that sometimes it has none at all?
“This is quite appalling for a maritime nation like us.
“These submarines are war winners. They scare (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and we use them to give the Soviets a hard time. That’s where we have to do it.”
He added: “In terms of sustained deterrence at sea, boats currently have to do 200 daily patrols and will not stand down if something goes wrong.
“We kept at it, it’s an incredible effort to do that, but God, we shouldn’t be in this situation.”
While he believed the Ministry of Defense “got it”, with urgent steps being taken by the current First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, to improve the availability and readiness of the Royal Navy’s attack submarines, Lord West called on ministers to go back to the Treasury and request extra funding to support these efforts.
Defense Secretary Lord Coaker said more funding and investment was being made.
The leading Labor member told the upper house: “We are trying to resolve some of the challenges he pointed out.”
Lord Coaker added: “I am pleased to announce to the House that the recruitment and retention of submariners has also improved.
“I acknowledge the challenges it presents, but together with the First Sea Lord and others we are seeking to resolve this matter quickly and urgently.”
