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Largest naval infrastructure programme launched since the end of the Cold War.
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Programme will support thousands of skilled jobs in Scotland, South West England and on the Solent.
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Additional £240m in funding provided for RAF support and logistics contracts benefitting Scotland.
Critical naval bases will have new docking ports and refitted buildings thanks to record investment in the biggest upgrade programme in decades.
Visiting HMNB Clyde today, Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP confirmed £26 billion investment over ten years to modernise the Royal Navy’s three main naval bases HMNB Clyde, HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth.
The funding, which was confirmed in the recent Defence Investment Plan, is the largest programme of naval infrastructure investment since the end of the Cold War.
It will transform bases into warfighting-ready facilities that directly improve Royal Navy readiness, availability and lethality. Upgrades will see waterfront infrastructure modernised, and new Single Living Accommodation built for our Armed Forces.
Scotland is at the heart of this new investment. HMNB Clyde — the home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and the Royal Navy’s submarine centre of specialisation — will benefit from one of the most significant and sustained programmes of UK Government investment in Scotland in the coming decades, with economic benefits flowing across the West of Scotland through industrial partners based in the region.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said
The threats facing the United Kingdom are real and they are growing. This Government is not waiting — we are acting now to ensure our Royal Navy has the bases and infrastructure it needs to be ready to fight. This £26 billion investment is the largest in our naval bases since the Cold War, and Scotland is central to it.
Clyde is critical to our nation’s defence. This investment is securing thousands of jobs up and down the country and strengthening our Armed Forces for the challenges of today and the future.
New training facilities, out-of-water engineering infrastructure and research and development capabilities will be provided through the regeneration and upgrade programmes, ultimately supporting Navy readiness and lethality into the future.
Alongside the naval investment, the Minister also confirmed over £240 million in RAF sustainment contracts benefiting Scotland, supporting more than 380 jobs. Boeing Defence UK has been awarded a £115.2 million, two-year contract extension to sustain the RAF’s fleet of nine P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operated from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, safeguarding over 200 highly skilled jobs and more than 20 apprenticeships. A separate E-7 Wedgetail sustainment contract worth £127.5 million will sustain approximately 180 jobs, with 60–80 new roles projected and four further apprenticeships created.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said
Scotland is crucial to UK defence and this £15.3 billion UK Government funding for some of our most critical military assets will make Britain safer at home, stronger abroad and deliver a defence dividend for Scottish communities.
As home to the Royal Navy Submarine Service and the UK’s nuclear deterrent, it’s only right that Faslane – Scotland’s largest military establishment and second-biggest employment site with over 6,500 military and civilian personnel – will be transformed with £15.1 billion Defence Investment Plan funding into a modern, more efficient base, future-proofed for war-fighting.
This, along with a further £240 million being confirmed to keep RAF Lossiemouth-based aircraft mission ready, means we are investing in the capabilities, infrastructure and people that keep us and our allies safe, while creating and supporting jobs and driving economic growth across Scotland for years to come.
Additionally, the MOD has completed the purchase of Finnart Oil Terminal on the West of Scotland, a multi-million-pound acquisition which expands the Royal Navy’s sovereign fuel-holding capacity and strengthens operational resilience at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty. By making use of existing infrastructure, the investment delivers value for taxpayers while creating skilled local jobs and supporting the wider supply chain — and provides the additional space needed to progress the Clyde Transformation Programme, further reinforcing Scotland’s central role in the UK’s defence industrial base.
As part of the government’s commitment to backing our key maritime industries on the River Clyde, £20m is being invested in Inchgreen Marine Park to revitalise one of the largest operational dry docks in the UK – further strengthening our national and industrial resilience. The investment is supporting creation of 350 direct jobs and will provide a new skills centre.
The ten-year programme to upgrade the UK’s naval bases delivers directly on the Strategic Defence Review’s commitment to warfighting readiness, and forms part of the Defence Investment Plan’s £298 billion package to transform the UK’s Armed Forces.