Staff shortages may confine Faslane nuclear submarines to base within eighteen months

In an earlier news item, we wrote that the nuclear warhead base in Argyll, at Coulport, faces privatisation. Chris Hockley, Commodore of the MOD Clyde establishment in Argyll which includes the Faslane nuclear submarine base, began a review earlier this moth, looking at staff shortages and considering the option of privatisation. There are now widespread concerns that unless a shortage of submariners and nuclear engineers can be turned around, the Faslane submarines could be confined to base by the end of 2009.

Prospect, the civil service union, began a High Court action this week over Ministry of Defence (MOD) plans to cut 5,000 job. Prospect claims that the planned cut would be illegal. Steve Jury, Prospect’s National Secretary told the Independent on Sunday that the MOD is ‘stretched beyond breaking point’. Former Army Commander in the Bosnia conflict, Conservative MP Patrick Mercer is on record as saying naval officers have told him that the UK’s submarine fleet would be unable to go on patrol without more submariners. Faslane would be unable to apply for a full operations licence. The MOD is attempting to address the situation by developing recruitment campaigns targeted on specific ‘pinchpoint’ trades and focusing on ‘retention measures’.