The reality of nuclear submarines and our manufacturing base

It’s a pity Nick Harvey and his senior ex-army friends learnt so little about the nature of deterrence and the reality of operating nuclear submarines during their time in the MoD (The tide turns for Trident, 4 February). Had he listened more, he would not have led the Liberal Democrats to adopt such a ludicrous (a favourite word of Harvey’s!) policy for the UK’s nuclear deterrent capability. The party’s adoption of a part-time deterrent – sometimes you have one, sometimes you don’t – will deter no one and only cause dismay with our allies in the US, France and the rest of Nato. His sloppy solution is based on the false premise that operating Trident is a capability that can be switched on and off just like that. It cannot. It takes time and constant tuning of crew, submarine and equipment to ensure safe and effective operation of the Trident system.

Furthermore, when Harvey’s submarines are sitting in port rusting away waiting for a crisis, they are a target not a deterrent, hugely vulnerable to conventional attack. With one submarine at sea all the time, availability and certainty of a retaliatory capability is guaranteed; a fundamental return which the British taxpayer should expect from their investment. The UK has already climbed down several “rungs” of the nuclear ladder such that we now deploy a truly minimum deterrent, indeed the smallest of all the declared nuclear weapon states. To cut further would be folly.In short, a part-time deterrent just will not do.
Tim Hare
Commodore, Royal Navy (MoD director of nuclear policy 1999-2002)

• The main people speculating about a Labour “wobble” on renewing Britain’s deterrent submarines are Conservative ministers and a Lib Dem MP who desperately want our cutting-edge manufacturing programme to be scrapped (Lobby ship unions over Trident, Philip Hammond tells unions, 2 February). As part of a government that has faced both ways on the deterrent and kicked the decision into the long grass at considerable cost to taxpayers, they should concentrate on keeping their own house in order rather than inventing problems to make mischief for their opponents.

Talk of Labour reopening this debate is utter baloney, as the shadow defence secretary made abundantly clear in the Commons this week. Vernon Coaker said the party is as committed as it has ever been to the policy it set in government. That is right for the security of future generations in a world where we cannot tell what threats the UK will face in 30 or 40 years’ time, and vital to rebalance the economy towards the kind of advanced engineering and manufacturing jobs that submarine-building will sustain in every part of the UK.
John Woodcock MP
Labour/Co-op MP for Barrow & Furness

• The politicking to preserve the Trident replacement spend of £100bn contrasts with the shipbuilders in the rest of the EU – Finland, France, Germany, Poland and Italy. They are competing in world civil markets turning out hi-tech ships, including for the UK: cruise liners, ferries, tugs …read more