Widely leaked in advance, the release of the Strategic Defence Review makes for sobering reading as the Prime Minister calls for a move to “war-fighting readiness” to deter Russian aggression in Europe.
Among the details which Sir Keir Starmer shared with construction staff at a shipyard in Glasgow on Monday morning was news that up to 12 attack submarines will be made, signalling a massive investment in both capability and the infrastructure needed to build them.
The Prime Minister highlighted Barrow’s role in submarine construction along with the programme’s supply chain which he said would ‘deliver a new sub every 18 months.’
Work on submarines in Barrow is brisk; the final two Astute Class boats are under construction while steel on the first of four Dreadnought Class submarines was cut by the PM in March. But construction is not without challenges.
The cause of a fire at the Devonshire Dock Hall last October is still under investigation by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and Cumbria police.
The SDR highlights the ambition of creating a ‘new hybrid navy’ featuring Dreadnought alongside SSN-AUKUS submarines, cutting-edge warships and support ships, transformed aircraft carriers, and new autonomous vessels.
The news that more work could be heading to Barrow did not surprise Tim Ripley, editor of Defence Eye.
As he told Business Crack, there are real challenges faced in constructing a new class of submarine alongside work on existing programmes:
The UK’s reliance on the maritime world is made clear in the SDR; 46% of our food is imported, 77% of our gas imports from Norway came via a gas pipeline from Scandinavia while 95% of data is carried via undersea cables.
According to some, this reliance and the threat that could be posed has been ignored for decades.
Professor Basil Germond, Chair in International Security at Lancaster University, has written widely about so-called ‘sea blindness’ a lack of understanding about the importance of the sea affecting politicians, academics and the public.
Speaking to Business Crack before the formal publication of the Strategic Defence Review, Prof Germond said he welcomed a focus on the maritime world.
“The UK’s security and prosperity strongly depends on the sea,” Prof Germond says. “Sea blindness has been a recurrent problem in the past decades after the Second World War. There has been a decline in the realisation by the general public of the importance of the sea.
“This has definitely contributed to the decline in terms of resources devoted to the Royal Navy.”
Investment in the maritime defence of the UK has improved in recent times, Prof Germond who has presented to politicians, told Business Crack.
“For the past 20 years, there’s been a renewed interest in the sea, not just since the Ukraine war, when the Johnson government acknowledged the importance of the sea,” he says.
News that the Government is to invest in the defence of the maritime world is welcome at a time when the reliability of undersea connections is under scrutiny, he says. At a recent event, Threats to Maritime Trade and the Global Economy conference at City of Glasgow College, Prof Germond spoke about the increasing complexity of maritime threats.
“There is less ‘blindness’ among politicians in Whitehall but it’s very important to also fight sea blindness at the level of population,” Prof Germond said. “Because population means also the private sector. It’s a good beginning and based on my research, I really believe that it’s key for the country ahead of this coming difficult geopolitical era.”
The debate around how the measures set out in the review will be paid for has only just begun.
A ‘radical root-and-branch reform of defence procurement’ is promised to speed up delivery and ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
For now reaction to the news and the benefits the review could bring for business in Cumbria have been welcomed.
Oxley Developments in Ulverston said: “The increase in defence spending announced by Government will drive growth in organisations like Oxley.
“The prioritisation of UK business will help to ensure we have UK supply chain resilience whilst long term surety enables us to continue to deliver social value within our communities and further invest in growing and developing our highly skilled workforce, including 21 apprentices.
“The Strategic Defence Review focuses on innovation to tackle ‘a new era of threat’, much of this will be driven by SMEs like Oxley and we look forward to the Defence Industrial Strategy setting ambitious targets for SME spend.”
David Beeby, Enterprising Cumbria, Growth Board chair, said: “Enterprising Cumbria are very supportive of the economic development in Barrow being fuelled by the growing activity at BAE.”
