On Friday 30th January, the Chancellor of the Exchequer visited Portsmouth Naval base. A high-profile visit by a government minister to make announcements about spending investments is a sure sign there is an election looming. Touring Portsmouth harbour by boat he would have seen 3 visiting German warships which would help disguise the fact that Portsmouth is often virtually empty, with museum ships or decommissioned ships out numbering active Royal Navy warships. George has been seeing a lot of ships this week, visiting Falmouth to announce that A&P have won the contract to complete the fitting out the four Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers currently being built by DSME in South Korea. The first vessel RFA Tidespring should arrive in Falmouth by December this year – a testament to the speed and efficiency of Korean shipbuilders.
Can his ‘national shipbuilding strategy’ deliver what the navy needs?
While aboard HMS Defender in Portsmouth the Chancellor said “We are looking at a future shipbuilding strategy with the potential for Britain to build complex warship every couple of years”. His office also said this would “renew the Royal Navy every 25 years”. There is much to be unpacked in these very grand statements. No government since WWII has committed to a ‘drumbeat’ of regular orders. Without a stable cycle of procurement it has been ‘feast or famine’ with orders placed when politically and fiscally convenient. Regular orders are something we have long-argued for; it reduces costs and allows the Navy and industry to plan and prepare. The huge flaw in this proposal is that a single new warship every two years will not even sustain the fleet at the existing inadequate levels. Even if he is just talking about surface escorts, if ‘renewed every 25 years’ that would support a force of just 12 ships instead of the 19 we have now.
The broad plan for the Type 26 programme is supposed to produce a new frigate each year between 2022 and 2033. Even if the programme stays on track and delivers a vessel annually, the last Type 23 frigate will have to solider on until at least 32 years old. The Type 23 programme of the 1990s delivered 16 ships between 1990 and 2000. What we actually need is a commitment to deliver around 3 surface ships every 2 years.
Renewing the RN every 25 years is clearly going to be virtually impossible and not even a sensible target as the aircraft carriers for example, are planned to last 50 years. George also said his government was “committed to building the most modern navy in the world”. This too sounds laudable but is also meaningless and hard to measure – a navy with one new rubber dinghy could argue it was the world’s most modern. Besides it is not so much the quality but the quantity of ships, submarines, aircraft and sailors that is the now biggest issue for the RN.
While British politicians talk vaguely about building a single Royal Navy warship every 2 years, back in the real world last week China launched 3 major warships in one day.
Authoritarian regimes like China have the major advantage of not having to worry too much about local politics, decent pay & pensions, health & safety or environmental concerns. Comparisons are slightly unfair as China is an economic superpower but it does demonstrate what can be done when there is the political will and realism.
More ships, less talk
However appealing it may sound, it is hard to take Government talk of a ‘shipbuilding strategy’ seriously having just allowed the Portsmouth shipyard to close and while they continue to delay the ordering of Type 26 Frigates. The MoD did confirm that frigates will continue the ‘split-basing’ practice of the Type 23s with some based in Portsmouth and some in Devonport. The Tory MPs for Plymouth and Portsmouth were quick to trumpet this ‘good news’ but would do better to campaign for a strong navy and a commitment to at least 13 ships, something that has so far not been forthcoming. The ‘triumph’ of split basing will be pretty hollow if that amounts to 4 ships (or less) per base and will simply make closure of one of the bases more likely. It is now obvious the fate of the Type 26 programme will be subject to the inadequate funding and subsequent carnage of the (SDSR) defence review due after the election.
Spinning Portsmouth’s future
There was also the announcement of a £100 Million of infrastructure investment in Portsmouth Naval base, mainly required to support the 2 new aircraft carriers. This is welcome but is not exactly news, indeed some of that money has already been spent as work has already started.
The MoD also announced the options for re-using the site of the former BAE Systems warship building yard in Portsmouth. The end of warship building is deeply regrettable but it is at least positive that the facility will almost certainly continue to be used for marine industry. The 3 companies bidding are:
- Burgess Marine – a luxury yacht builder that hopes to create 200 new jobs.
- Magma Structures – an engineering company involved in construction in the marine, oil & gas, defence and construction sectors.
- BAE Systems – proposes use its old site to support the maintenance of the RN’s Hunt class mine warfare vessels that are going through a programme of upgrades, including fitting of new engines. This work is currently being done within the dockyard so will not create any new jobs but would free up space for BAES to develop commercial ship repair work. The site could also be used to construct the RN’s future minewarfare and hydrographic vessels.
From a naval point of view, BAES option 3 looks most attractive as it would at least maintain the site for the support and possible future construction of naval vessels.
To summarise. Arriving in Portsmouth where the actions of his Treasury were largely responsible for closing the shipyard, George said he is considering a “shipbuilding strategy” that in the long term would actually shrink the navy further. There was confirmation of the basing plan for the Type 26 frigates while refusing to say how many there will be. Plus the ‘announcement’ of an investment in Portsmouth Naval base which already began sometime ago.
Related articles
- UK Will Have World’s Most Modern Navy (ForcesTV video)
- MoD continues to support regeneration of Portsmouth Naval Base (gov.uk)
- Critics keep up the pressure on orders for Royal Navy’s frigates (Portsmouth News)
- £100m boost outlined for navy base (dailymail.co.uk)
- Rallying call over next-generation warships in Plymouth (Plymouth Herald)
- China launches three new warships in one day setting a new record (Popular Science)
Why dont you launch a coup? Thne you can withdraw all spending and max 100 defence.
That is not what people are talking about Amanda. Flippent comments do you no justice at all. Perhaps you should instead consider this.
Iran shuts the gulf gap.
3 days later you have electricity rationing
5-7 days later your lights go out
12-14 days later your heating goes out (weather has been pretty awful the last few days where I live….lot of old people dead without heating I imagine)
21 days later you cannot cook hot food (lot more people are dying now)
Day 30 I imagine riots start. Government capitulates.
Now obviously this is a simple scenario as if Iran shuts the gap NATO would work to open it. However besides the USA there are precious few countries with a maritime force capable of such a complex tasking that would require surface vessels, carriers, amphibious tasking, sea basing logistics, MCMV and Submarines to name a few. With USA pushing interest more and more into the pacific who will take up the slack?
You (and other general EU citizens) are so used to hiding under the umbrella of US protection. Sure it is “cool” to insult them. Sure it is easy to judge them. Fact remains though that they sheltered, and still do shelter your way of life. You are fortunate to be able to voice your opinion. You can get a job. You can do what you want. Your opinion is discussed with as much importance as mine or any other mans.
You think IS would let you have this? Or any other middle eastern fundamentalist state? Hell you think the average working person would be allowed this in a communist state? No… No…. and No.
So make flippant comments. Demand all the money in health care and welfare. After all it is more important that you get to look after those people. That we support those who are lazy, those who do not exercise and eat to excess, those who drink to excess, those that smoke to excess. We should ensure health care and welfare continues to be ring fenced and protect the SOFT Western way of life.
Meanwhile I will have to place a hand on the shoulder of my young lads and lasses… “It’s okay lad, I know you have to leave your wife of 2 days to go on a back to back patrol of 6+ months again. That’s your job”.
Or the Army captains who have to go to the door of the widow of one of their lads.
We can sleep soundly knowing people like you comment on what you don’t know. What you haven’t researched and what you haven’t considered. Sure Defence has some total nut jobs. For the most part we just want to protect this country and be given enough tools to do it properly. Failing that we will get the job done anyway….. just more people die. Still safe in your house I wouldn’t expect you to know this.
Not everyone that supports defence wants to spend 100% on defence (there may be a few in number, but they’re definitely not the majority). Defence is one key to economic security and prosperity, if trade routes (both physical and virtual) cannot be secured then there will be no money for public benefit and welfare; no public health service, no free schools, no welfare to help those in need. Most supporters of defence want to see our forces manned and equipped to do the tasks that are asked of them, not have resources taken away and asked to do more. It is possible that for the 2% GDP NATO target for defence spending the UK could have a better defence output than it does currently. France and Germany spend roughly the same amount as the UK and have better defence output. This would require long term strategic thinking and planning (certainly for the Navy), not short term political points. The multitude of threats that the general public aren’t aware of further highlights why defence, and investing in defence resources is a vital government function (although no recent government has really delivered on rhetoric).
Some threats to name a few;
– Russia, who are increasing their defence spend and have stated that NATO is their main threat and are increasing their encroachments via air and sea into our territorial areas of interest
– China conducts daily cyber-attacks on other nations to obtain information;
– North Korea is ever belligerent and it is possible that they are close to completing a missile that has enough range to hit Scotland;
– Religious Extremism from fanatics who have twisted religious teachings to justify their barbarism
– Piracy on the goods that we import and export to sustain our economy
The UK armed forces currently do not have the capacity to deal with or respond to multitude of threats in their entirety. All that can be offered is a token gesture. It is through defence and security that we enjoy, and take for granted our freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom to live without fear, freedom to live and work in a society that has been built through the actions of the armed forces for generations.
The common sense approach would be to buy as a stop gap some second hand P-3s until the production slots become available to purchase the P-8 for MPA. Double the amount of frigates, Global combat ships and Astute subs on order. Equip surface ships with ABM and modular stanflex like weapons . Slash in half raf typhoon numbers and scrap tornado . Use saving to convert both carries to cats n’ traps, buy 60-70 new Super Hornets with option to buy or have the wiring installed to convert to Growler (as f35 is looking more like a pig with everyday that passes) Some UCAVs wound be nice too. Equip Royal Marines with HK417 assault rifle which fire the jihadi dropping 7.62mm round.
Alas, however common sense in government is no where to be seen.
Thanks JP. I agree with you but when has any politician from the 3 main existing parties in the UK thought this through. No one thinks beyond the next five years when a convenient ‘strategic defence’ review comes to their rescue and they can reset the whole shebang at a 25% lower level.
I think that at the present rate the West will be defeated at sea within the next 10 years and then the game is up, for the next century.
The casualties would be appalling. In 12 hours in 1916 at Jutland Britain lost 6000 men, Dead. Lest we forget.
Thanks 4th watch .
As I have said before other nations when faced with Russian incursions or the terror threat reverse the cuts they might inflict on their navys -Sweden and France to name but two. Britain is forever the odd one out. The Falklands are as good as Argentinas .And parts of england are as good as belonging to IS (or some mutation there of).
If you look back at the comments for the article on the closing of Portsmouth dockyard I said Osborne was twice a fool. He seems to have heeded the point I made about losing the Portsmouth parliamentary seat but done nothing but verbalise RN shipbuilding.
This man is a clown. He is the very antithesis of Winston Churchill. He has no idea of the multifaceted and looming dangers at sea and how his defence cuts and ignorance are endangering the Kingdom.
It will take the next 10 years to build up the fleet and manning levels to a viable level if we start building at double the rate he proposes NOW.
I cant emphasise this strongly enough or more clearly.
Yes, Mr Churchill must be turning at several thousand RPM in his grave as britain digs itself into a hole.
Shocking drills in the photo of George Osborne being piped ashore. The piping party should not be wearing lanyards, instead they should have chains around their necks attached to the Bosun’s Call. The BM’s salute with the A2 is shoddy. I’ve not got a copy of QRRN’s to hand as I’ve just gone outside, but I’m not even sure he is entitled to a pipe! ‘We’re all doomed’!