The Ministry of Defence has launched what it calls the “largest naval infrastructure programme…since the end of the Cold War,” confirming a £26 billion, ten‑year investment to modernise HMNB Clyde, HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth. The funding, set out in the Defence Investment Plan, “will transform bases into warfighting‑ready facilities that directly improve Royal Navy readiness, availability and lethality.”
Visiting HMNB Clyde to announce the programme, Defence Minister Luke Pollard MP said: “Critical naval bases will have new docking ports and refitted buildings thanks to record investment in the biggest upgrade programme in decades.” He described the spending as “the largest in our naval bases since the Cold War,” signalling the scale of the commitment being made to the Royal Navy’s shore infrastructure.
Scotland’s Clyde at the heart
HMNB Clyde on the Gare Loch, home to the UK’s nuclear deterrent, is positioned at the heart of Project Royal Oak. Pollard was explicit about Scotland’s role, saying: “This £26 billion investment is the largest in our naval bases since the Cold War, and Scotland is central to it. Clyde is critical to our nation’s defence.”
Alongside the Clyde upgrades, the Defence Investment Plan itself promises “a multi‑decade, multi‑billion pound infrastructure programme to transform HM Naval Base Clyde, improving working conditions and ensuring readiness for Dreadnought and SSN‑A submarines.” It also pledges “strategic investment at RNAD Coulport on Loch Long,” underlining how the wider deterrent infrastructure around the Clyde will be reshaped over the coming decades.
Devonport in Plymouth and Portsmouth on the Solent will also see their waterfronts overhauled, with docks, jetties and Single Living Accommodation upgraded as part of the ten‑year plan. The MOD says the naval base programme will “support thousands of skilled jobs in Scotland, South West England and on the Solent,” tying the investment directly to long‑term employment in dockyard communities.
Pollard linked the defence spend to the wider economy, stating: “This investment is securing thousands of jobs up and down the country and strengthening our Armed Forces for the challenges of today and the future.” In Scotland specifically, he confirmed “over £240 million in RAF sustainment contracts benefiting Scotland, supporting more than 380 jobs,” alongside support for Clyde‑based maritime industries.
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Inchgreen, fuel resilience and future warfare
As part of the government’s push to bolster maritime industry and resilience on the Clyde, the MOD has “completed the purchase of Finnart Oil Terminal on the West of Scotland, a multi‑million‑pound acquisition which expands the Royal Navy’s sovereign fuel‑holding capacity and strengthens operational resilience at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.” The department adds that “£20m is being invested in Inchgreen Marine Park to revitalise one of the largest operational dry docks in the UK – further strengthening our national and industrial resilience,” with the investment “supporting creation of 350 direct jobs and [providing] a new skills centre.”
Looking ahead, the Defence Investment Plan commits at least £32 billion to maritime capabilities and envisages a “hybrid navy” making greater use of uncrewed systems at sea. In coverage of the plan, the MOD has highlighted plans for Common Combat Vessels “capable of ‘coordinating uncrewed systems in the air, on the surface and under the sea to deliver more resilient air defence’,” underlining why modern, digitally‑enabled waterfront infrastructure is being prioritised.
