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Awol sailor's Trident safety fears unfounded, says defence secretary Awol sailor's Trident safety fears unfounded, says defence secretary
(about 1 hour later)
Concerns raised by a Royal Navy submariner about Trident were either incorrect, the result of misunderstanding or based on historical events, the defence secretary has said. Michael Fallon has dismissed claims by Trident whistleblower William McNeilly that Britain’s nuclear deterrent is a “disaster waiting to happen” as factually incorrect or the result of a misunderstanding.
Michael Fallon said a Ministry of Defence investigation into claims made by Able Seaman William McNeilly found that neither the operational effectiveness of Trident nor the safety of the public or submariners had been compromised. The defence secretary’s written statement comes in response to McNeilly’s 18-page report, published online two weeks ago, which included details of 30 alleged breaches of safety and security.
McNeilly, 25, went absent without leave this month after producing an 18-page report containing a series of allegations about the Trident submarines based at Faslane, on the Clyde in Scotland. Fallon wrote that the investigation into these allegation was now complete, and that neither the operational effectiveness of Trident nor the safety of submariners or members of the public have been compromised.
Fallon said McNeilly was being confined to a “specified location” in Portsmouth where he was being interviewed and “afforded the duty of care that we give all our personnel”. The statement added: “Most of McNeilly’s concerns proved to be either factually incorrect or the result of mis- or partial understanding; some drew on historic, previously known events, none of which had compromised our deterrent capability and, where appropriate, from which lessons had been learned to develop our procedures as part of a continuous improvement programme.
In a written ministerial statement, Fallon said: “Having now completed our investigation, and having consulted with the appropriate regulatory and operating authorities, I can assure the House that neither the operational effectiveness of our continuous at sea deterrent nor the safety of our submariners or members of the public have been compromised.” “Only one of the allegations remains to be fully examined – the allegation that e-cigarettes were being used within the submarine. No independent corroboration of this has been found but even if it were true, there is clear evidence that their use did not put the safety of the boat at risk.”
The defence secretary said only one of McNeilly’s claims – that e-cigarettes were being used inside submarines – needed to be investigated further. Fallon’s response comes as a report from the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament argued the allegations were part of a recurring pattern of safety and security problems with British nuclear submarines.
“Most of McNeilly’s concerns proved to be either factually incorrect or the result of mis- or partial understanding; some drew on historic, previously known, events none of which had compromised our deterrent capability and, where appropriate, from which lessons had been learned to develop our procedures as part of a continuous improvement programme,” he said. Scottish CND’s coordinator, John Ainslie, said: “McNeilly’s report should not be dismissed as the ill-informed views of a junior sailor. One of his main concerns was the ‘scary’ shortage of personnel to work on the Trident missile system. Official reports show that there is a 25% shortfall in this area and that the lack of suitable people is the greatest risk to the safety of the defence nuclear programme.”
“Only one of the allegations remains to be fully examined: the allegation that e-cigarettes were being used within the submarine. No independent corroboration of this has been found, but even if it were true there is clear evidence that their use did not put the safety of the boat at risk.” Ainslie added: “The defence secretary is clearly playing down these allegations. He says that the previous incidents that McNeilly referred to didn’t undermine the deterrent but he doesn’t say they didn’t undermine safety. It’s a very vague statement and speaks to a recurring problem of placing more emphasis on operational effectiveness than safety.”
Able Seaman McNeilly, 25, has been held by Royal Navy police since handing himself in at Edinburgh airport last Monday evening, after he went absent without leave from Faslane naval base following the publication of his report.
Related: Trident whistleblower needs to be listened to, even if he is exaggeratingRelated: Trident whistleblower needs to be listened to, even if he is exaggerating
Fallon said McNeilly published his allegations after his first submarine deployment. “He was under training, and his access and exposure to activities and material on board were appropriate to his security clearance. Fallon confirmed that McNeilly had been arrested. He added: “He was released the next day, but confined to a specified location in Portsmouth while interviews were conducted. He is being afforded the duty of care that we give all our personnel, is in contact with his family, and is still in the employ of the Royal Navy.
“We have found no evidence that he raised any concerns with colleagues on board or with the chain of command: had he done so, the more senior and experienced submariners would have been able to explain how the boat operated and why McNeilly’s concerns were unfounded. A number of the issues he raised did not occur during his patrol.” In the online dossier, McNeilly claimed it was more difficult to get into some nightclubs than to gain access to Britain’s nuclear programme facility. Referring to a chronic shortage of staff, he suggested it was “a matter of time before we’re infiltrated by a psychopath or a terrorist”.
Fallon added: “The naval service operates its submarine fleet under the most stringent safety regime, which is subject to independent scrutiny. The naval service does not put a submarine to sea unless it is safe to do so, and there are appropriate procedures in place to deal with any issues that may arise during its deployment. He also detailed a fire on board a submarine and the inappropriate use of HMS Vanguard’s missile compartment as a gym and accused navy chiefs of covering up a collision between HMS Vanguard and a French submarine in the Atlantic Ocean in February 2009.
“There are robust regulatory mechanisms, both within the Ministry of Defence but independent of the Royal Navy and, externally, with the Office of Nuclear Regulation to ensure this.” Alex Salmond and Brendan O’Hara, the newly elected SNP MP for Argyll and Bute, which includes Faslane, will lead an adjournment debate on Trident safety later on Thursday.