This morning’s papers report on the nuclear deterrent and Royal Air Force air strikes against Daesh.
Nuclear Submarines
The Times carries a letter from more than 20 former top American defence officials, urging MPs to vote in favour of replacing Britain's four nuclear-armed submarines. They write in the letter that sabre-rattling by President Putin makes it more important than ever for the Royal Navy to retain a nuclear deterrent permanently at sea.
The Herald, The Daily Record and The Scotsman all report that the UK government has signalled that it has not drawn up contingency plans to move Trident out of Scotland in the event of a Yes vote in a second independence referendum. The articles write that Philip Dunne, the minister in charge of defence procurement, has said the UK government remains “fully committed” to Faslane, the defence base on the Clyde where the nuclear missile is based. The reports state that Mr Dunne also said that ministers were “committed to Faslane and to investing hundreds of millions of pounds in Faslane to allow it to continue to operate safely our deterrent for the foreseeable future.” It is stated that the MOD estimates that 6,800 people work across the site and that number will increase to 8,200 by 2022, as all the UK’s submarines become stationed at Faslane.
Air Strikes
The Sun reports that two RAF Tornados have killed Daesh commanders by flattening a building as they held a meeting there. The article states that the jets dropped a salvo of bombs at Karabilah on the Iraqi border with Syria.
Read more about the RAF air strikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria here.
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