UK to invest in chemical weapons defence centre
Britain will invest £48 million in a new chemical weapons defence centre and vaccinate thousands of British soldiers against anthrax, the country’s defence minister said on 15 March after the nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain.
British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘We are investing £48 million in a new Chemical Weapons Defence Centre to maintain our cutting edge in chemical analysis and defence.’
Williamson said the centre would be based at the existing Porton Down facility, a secretive British Army base which analysed the nerve gas used to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the city of Salisbury on 4 March.’
Britain has accused Russia of being ‘culpable’ for the attack.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory – its official name – employs 3,000 scientists across a sprawling rural site, and has an annual budget of £500 million.
It was founded in 1916 to counter German gas attacks in World War I, which initially involved chlorine and then mustard gas and phosgene.
In the 1950s scientists at Porton Down developed non-lethal CS gas, better known as tear gas, as well as the deadly nerve agent VX.
Given international conventions that prohibit the use of chemical weapons, research conducted at Porton Down is defensive in nature, according to the defence ministry.
Williamson said: ‘If we doubted the threat Russia poses to our citizens, we only have to look at the shocking example of their reckless attack in Salisbury.’
He added that threats from chemical weapons in different countries, not just Russia, were ‘intensifying’.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Taiwan approved for purchase of $11 billion in weapons from US]()
Taiwan approved for purchase of $11 billion in weapons from US
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
-
![US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry]()
US National Security Strategy prioritises advanced military capabilities and national industry
The 2025 NSS has emphasised investment in the US nuclear and air defence inventory and national industry, but it leaves multiple unanswered questions on how the White House will implement this approach.
-
![Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners]()
Canada set to look away from its neighbour and across the Atlantic for partners
While non-EU UK struggles to join the Security Action for Europe initiative, which provides loans for defence programmes, Canada has become the first country outside Europe to get access – and did so for a nominal fee.
-
![NATO experiments with solutions to integrate networks, AI and uncrewed systems]()
NATO experiments with solutions to integrate networks, AI and uncrewed systems
During the latest edition of the NATO DiBaX, the alliance tested multiple capabilities to inform requirements for future efforts.
