Reference News Network, December 9 report. The UK's Daily Telegraph website published an article titled "The UK's nuclear submarine fleet is no longer up to its mission" on December 6, by journalist Tom Cottrell. The summary of the article is as follows:
A former Royal Navy admiral said that after a series of "catastrophic" failures pushed the UK's nuclear submarine program to the brink, the UK is no longer able to continue with the project.
Admiral Philip Maisey said that the UK's "stealth force" (i.e., the submarine fleet) is facing an "unprecedented" situation and it will be difficult to recover without drastic interventions.
The former head of the Ministry of Defence's nuclear policy department pointed out that the delays in building new attack submarines have set historical records, leading to the patrol duration of submarine crews increasing from 70 days during the Cold War to over 200 days today.
This retired submarine commander warned that this has led to an "incredibly low availability" of submarines for "countering the threat from Russia in the North Atlantic."
Maisey was responsible for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the "Trident" project in 2010. He called on the UK to withdraw from the AUKUS defense agreement it had reached with the United States and Australia. The agreement aims to build 12 new nuclear submarines.
Maisey said, "The UK can no longer manage a nuclear submarine project."
He said, "The 'Dreadnought' class submarines are delayed, the delivery of the 'Astute' class submarines keeps getting postponed, and there is a serious backlog in the maintenance and repair of the 'Astute' class submarines. The situation continues to deteriorate. Whether in terms of capability or scheduling, the AUKUS submarines cannot meet the needs of the UK or Australia. The performance of the project is deteriorating across all dimensions. This is an unprecedented situation in the nuclear submarine era, a catastrophic failure in subsequent planning and leadership planning."
The UK Royal Navy's "Astute" class nuclear submarine fleet is currently facing serious problems, with many submarines having been stranded in port for years. Of the seven submarines planned for construction, six are already in service.
According to defense analysts, the "Victory" class nuclear submarine is currently not in active service and has been in port for 1,222 days.
"Agamemnon" is the sixth submarine of this class and was formally commissioned this September in a ceremony presided over by the king. Several cabinet ministers praised it as "a truly remarkable manufacturing achievement."
But Maisey said, "The disturbing fact is that its construction took more than 13 years, which is the longest in the history of British shipbuilding."
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary John Healey warned that Russia has increased its activities in British waters by more than 30%, continuously pressuring the Royal Navy.
Last week, Russian President Putin said he is ready to go to war with Europe.
The UK's nuclear submarine fleet is crucial for protecting the country and deterring Russia and other dangerous countries from using weapons of mass destruction.
The fleet consists of four "Vanguard" class submarines carrying the UK's nuclear missiles, with one submarine always on patrol at sea.
Each submarine can carry up to 16 60-ton "Trident" -2 D5 ballistic missiles, each of which can be equipped with up to eight independent warheads. Its overall destructive power far exceeds the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II, capable of killing millions of people.
However, these submarines have had issues during launch tests in the past. In 2016, a "Trident" missile launched from the "Vengeance" submarine veered off course and reportedly self-destructed.
Last January 30th, a missile launched from the "Vanguard" in Cape Canaveral, Florida, failed and fell into the sea.
Maisey said that the UK's next generation of nuclear-powered submarines, the "Dreadnought" class, should be "the last class of nuclear-powered submarines built by the UK."
He stated that the AUKUS submarine project "should be canceled now," and funds should be invested in more "cost-effective" projects, achieving the same capabilities through cheaper technologies such as drones or small unmanned submarines.
This former navy commander pointed out that historic cuts in defense spending, repeated changes in the delivery method of the nuclear submarine project, and major mismanagement of key personnel are all factors contributing to the decline of the navy.
He also criticized the industrial giants for causing delays in the project and said that since the first UK nuclear submarine "Dreadnought" was taken out of service in 1980, none of the 23 retired nuclear submarines have been decommissioned.
He said, "This is a disgrace, raising questions about whether the UK has enough responsibility to manage nuclear submarines." (Translated by Tu Qi)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7581677530919338506/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.