UK MoD wishes to accelerate nuclear programmes
Despite contributing to 40% of the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) budget deficit its two nuclear submarine programmes, Astute and Dreadnought, are in safe hands with no plans for delay - quite the opposite.
The deficit currently stands at £7 billion ($8.9 billion) from 2018 to 2028.
During a Public Accounts Committee meeting held on 3 December MoD officials debated with Members of Parliament the deficit and the reality of delaying or deleting programmes unless a different financial settlement is met.
In order to reduce the deficit the MoD currently finds itself in Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary for the MoD,
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Euronaval 2026: Baltic breakthrough powers Saildrone’s next European expansion
Denmark’s doubled deployment, Mediterranean smuggling routes and Norwegian composite hulls show where uncrewed surveillance demand is heading, while British funding remains unclear.
-
Euronaval 2026: by the power of six, Fincantieri’s MMMV reflects modular naval shift
The 50m, six-person ship from the Italian shipbuilder carries swappable, containerised payloads instead of a fixed mission, reflecting a shift that is becoming increasingly evident.
-
Canada’s submarine availability under pressure as Chicoutimi is unlikely to return to front-line duties
HMCS Victoria and HMCS Windsor could return from their current deep maintenance, but unconfirmed operational timelines leave questions over patrol capacity before the first CPSP arrives.
-
Patrol vessel demand and partnerships anchor North Africa’s naval market
Fincantieri and Naval Group are positioning for long-term work in Egypt and Morocco as demand for local industrial partnerships grows.
-
UK MoD faces ‘serious’ ASW gap as Defence Committee outlines Arctic requirements
Anti-submarine warfare, uncrewed vessels and seabed monitoring top the demand list in the Defence Committee’s High North roadmap for the 2030s.