Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has marked the UK’s 350th nuclear deterrence submarine patrol by hosting talks on collective global security with NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the North Atlantic Council.
Sir Michael welcomed Jens Stoltenberg and all 29 NATO ambassadors to the home of the UK’s independent strategic nuclear deterrent, Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde. Sir Michael also took the opportunity to confirm that the UK will continue to play a leading role in NATO’s deterrence missions and will modernise and upgrade the Clyde Naval Base through £1.3 billion investment over the next ten years.
HMNB Clyde has been home to the submarine based nuclear deterrent for five decades and will see the government invest £1.3 billion over the next 10 years to update and upgrade its engineering and training facilities. The Base will be home to the entire UK submarine service by 2020, and supports 6,800 jobs today, which will to 8,500 in the 2030s.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said: “From our nuclear submarines that stand ready to defend us against the most extreme threats to our way of life, to nearly a thousand UK troops based in Eastern Europe, our commitment to the NATO Alliance, the cornerstone of European security, is clear and unwavering.
“NATO is a nuclear alliance. Only by having a deterrent of our own are we able to help guarantee our nation’s security and that of all our NATO allies.”
image © Crown Copyright 2017
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