Category Archives: Defence

Britain, Defence, Government, NATO, Norway

Britain and Norway in collaborative mission to curb Russian threat

DEFENCE

BRITAIN’S new fleet of submarine-hunters will work alongside Norwegian forces as a deterrent to the Russian threat.

Britain and Norway will combat the resurgent threat from Russian naval forces by sharing facilities for new Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA).

The “significant increase in Russian submarine activity” means NATO naval forces are at particular risk in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea.

The UK will take delivery next year of the first nine P-8A aircraft, at a cost of around £3billion.

Norway is buying five of them in a move that reflects the “changing security environment” in the North Atlantic, according to a statement jointly signed by the UK, Norway and the US.

The UK aircraft will be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, with operational and logistical support extended to the Norwegian planes.

The plan to share facilities comes in the wake of comments by Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, that increased Russian naval activity in the Atlantic “shows the increasing aggression [and] increasing assertiveness of Russia”.

He said the Royal Navy had responded 33 times to Russian warships approaching UK territorial waters in 2017 compared with just once in 2010.

The decision in 2010 to scrap Britain’s MPA capability was subsequently reviewed in light of Russia’s military actions in Georgia and Ukraine, according to a spokesperson for the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The UK is investing in nine P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.

“The change of gear in the relationship with Russia meant filling the gap [in MPA capability] in the 2015 Defence Review was a significant priority.”

Submarine hunting skills had been retained in the RAF by embedding personnel in the US, Canada, Australian and New Zealand armed forces. The decision was taken in 2015 to revive a sovereign British maritime patrol capability.

Submarines are the most potent part of the Russian navy.

The fleet consists of about 60-70 vessels and only a handful could pose a problem for NATO naval forces. The P-8 conducts anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and shipping interdiction, along with an electronic signals intelligence role.

This involves carrying torpedoes, depth charges, Harpoon anti-ship missiles and other weapons.

The Poseidon’s search radar is optimised for detecting small objects on the surface of the sea, such as submarine periscopes, as well as larger surface contacts. And it deploys sonobuoys to help detect submarines.

A spokesperson for Norway’s Ministry of Defence previously stated: “Norway and the UK are natural partners given our shared values, as well as our history and geography.”

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Britain, Defence, Government, Politics, United States

Defence: MPs say a spending boost of 50% is needed

MILITARY EXPENDITURE

DEFENCE spending must increase by 50 per cent to protect the special relationship with the U.S., according to a report by MPs.

Military expenditure, currently around 2 per cent of national income, must also rise for the UK to maintain its influence in NATO, they said.

The MPs reiterated calls for spending to go up to 3 per cent of GDP – which would be equivalent to an extra £2billion a year.

Without this, UK forces would struggle to maintain their ability to work alongside the US military, diminishing their usefulness as allies, the Commons defence select committee said.

The report added some in the US believe Britain’s defence capabilities have “slipped” and that concerns have been raised about the UK’s ability to operate independently.

The report reveals US defence secretary James Mattis had been referring to Britain when he said recently one of America’s allies had cut capacity “to the point where it could no longer speak with strength”.

Conservative MP Julian Lewis, the committee chairman, warned anything less than an investment of 3 per cent of GDP “endangers us and our allies”.

It comes as Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is locked in a battle with Theresa May over defence spending.

Dozens of Tory MPs could vote to block the Budget unless the Prime Minister increases military spending. It follows reports that Mr Williamson had told military chiefs he could bring down Mrs May if she refuses to back him in his fight to get an extra £2billion a year from the Treasury.

The report, published ahead of next month’s NATO summit in Brussels, also warned the UK military risks becoming “irrelevant” because of the time it would take to deploy forces. Currently, it would take 20 days to deploy a mechanised brigade and 90 for a division.

It suggested Britain should take the lead in defending the North Atlantic, bolstering its anti-submarine warfare capability to defend against a ten-fold increase in Russian submarine activity in the area.

The report said: “If the UK wishes to maintain its leadership position within NATO and continue such fruitful defence relations with the US, then it will have to invest more in its armed forces. Diminished capacity reduces the UK’s usefulness to the US and our influence within NATO. The Government must not allow this to happen.”

Mr Lewis said: “An increased commitment, in the face of new and intensified threats, means further investment is essential. Where percentage of GDP for defence is concerned, our mantra must be: ‘We need 3 to keep us free’.

“Anything less is simply rhetoric which endangers us and our allies.”

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Britain, Defence, Government

The Royal Navy’s £6bn fleet that hardly ever went to sea

DEFENCE

BRITAIN’S six Type 45 destroyers, described as the backbone of the Royal Navy, spent 80 per cent of last year in dock.

The ships, costing £1billion each, need a multi-million-pound refit after repeatedly breaking down in the Persian Gulf. But the work is not due to start until 2020.

Two of the cutting-edge warships, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, did not go to sea at all during 2017 – which had been hailed by officials and ministers as “the year of the Navy”.

All six warships, which entered service from 2008, were made with an engine system which cuts out in warm seas, leaving sailors stranded for hours in total darkness. This led to fears that these key vessels – designed to shield the rest of the fleet from air or missile attacks – had become “sitting ducks”. HMS Dragon spent 309 days in Portsmouth last year, followed by HMS Daring with 232 days and HMS Diamond with 203.

HMS Duncan spent the most time at sea, but was still in dock for 197 days.

From January to March this year, HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender have not left port.

Shockingly, engine-makers Rolls-Royce claim the Ministry of Defence did not tell them the 8,000-ton vessels would spend long periods in warm waters, so they were not designed to operate in the heat.

Insiders say a shortage of manpower, leave for sailors and routine maintenance had also been factors that kept the ships docked at Portsmouth.

Lord West, former head of the Navy, said: “It is a disgrace that work on these ships has not been done as a matter of urgency. We have so few frigates and destroyers that we should have moved heaven and earth to get the work done.

“If there was a national emergency we can’t rely on them.”

Whitehall sources, who blame the delays on cuts in maintenance contracts, say Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has since ordered deployments and four of the ships are currently at sea. However, last December Britain had no major warships on operations anywhere in the world for the first time in living memory. The absence of any of the Navy’s 19 frigates and destroyers overseas was described as a “strategic embarrassment for the country.”

Defence ministers and service chiefs are pushing for more spending after years of cuts and a budget review is now underway. The problem first became public knowledge in 2016 when it emerged that two Rolls-Royce turbines on each ship slow down in warm waters and the engine fails to generate enough power.

The system does not recognise this and “trips out” the ship’s generators, resulting in total electricity failure.

The problem does not occur in the North Sea because the engine can generate more power in colder temperatures. The MoD has set aside £160million to correct the problem by installing extra diesel generators to enhance the power and propulsion systems.

This could involve cutting a giant hole in the side of each ship but work on the first one is not due to start until 2020, followed by sea trials a year later.

A spokesperson for the MoD said: “The Royal Navy has a truly global presence with 25 ships and submarines currently at sea.

“Since 2016, our Type 45 destroyers have proved indispensable on global missions to protect commercial shipping in the Gulf, support coalition attacks on Daesh, prevent the smuggling of weapons into Libya, and lead the NATO maritime task force in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.”

See also UK commits to defence spending of 2 per cent of GDP for next five years…

. MPs Demand £20bn Boost for Defence

THE Armed Forces need more cash to meet the resurgent threat from states like Russia, an MP’s report has warned.

The Commons defence committee called on the Government to start the process of moving the level of defence spending from 2 per cent to 3 per cent of total GDP.

That would mean additional funding of around £20billion a year, bringing investment in defence to levels similar to those seen between the end of the Cold War and the mid-90s.

The report said failure to finance the military on a sustainable basis makes it “very difficult” to implement a long-term strategy for defence needs. Financial stability is the “only solution” at a time when the UK faces a renewed threat from Russia, as well as increasing challenges from terrorism and cyber-warfare, MPs said.

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