All 11 Royal Navy submarines will be based on the Clyde at Faslane from 2020, seeing the number of people employed at the base will rise to 8,200 as part of a £1.3 billion investment.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the new training school will support the Astute hunter killer submarines, as well as the delivery of training for the new Dreadnought nuclear deterrent boats, which provide the United Kingdom with its continuous nuclear deterrent.
A Ministry of Defence press release states:
“The new schools will provide academic and technical training for all Royal Naval personnel entering the submarine service from 2022.
It is an important step for both the Royal Navy and Scotland as it means all submariners’ careers, whether afloat or ashore, will be principally conducted from Faslane as part of a £1.3 billion investment in making the Clyde Britain’s submarine hub.
A drumbeat of arrivals of the last four Astute class submarines on the Clyde due to be commissioned into the Royal Navy between 2018 and 2024 (eventually replacing the Trafalgar class).
The move of the last two Trafalgar class submarines, HM Submarines Talent and Triumph, to the Clyde in 2019 and 2020 from Devonport (Plymouth). On current plans, the end of service date for Talent is 2021 and for Triumph is 2022.”
Head of the Submarine Service, Rear Admiral John Weale said:
“Our new single integrated operating base will make significant improvements to the work-life balance of our 5,000 submariners.
By putting our boats and training in one place, our submariners can put down roots in Scotland knowing that they are no longer required to commute from one end of the country to another.”
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
“This decision balances the Royal Navy’s operational requirements with giving more clarity to our servicemen and women to plan their family lives.”
Faslane is the second biggest single-site employer in Scotland, after the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow which employs around 11,000 staff.
Direct employment at the base is currently around 6,500 with many more thousands dependent on the base for jobs through the supply chain. It is understood that around 11,000 are directly and indirectly reliant on the base.
The annual spend in the local area is more than £270 million per year.
Another attempt to buy off the clamour for ‘independence’.
Agreed, and this will be very expensive if the SNP their way.
Hostages to fortune.
Isn’t there a proverb about eggs and baskets that might prove significant.