Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has declared that Scotland sits at the heart of Britain’s national security after visiting the Rosyth shipyard and military family accommodation in Edinburgh.
Making his first visit to Scotland since taking charge of the Ministry of Defence, Streeting toured Babcock’s Rosyth facility in Fife, where five Type 31 frigates are being built for the Royal Navy.
The visit placed Scotland’s shipbuilding workforce, defence bases and service families at the centre of the Government’s argument that military investment can strengthen national security while supporting skilled employment and industrial growth.
Type 31 frigates being built at Rosyth
Streeting met workers and apprentices involved in the Type 31 programme, one of the Royal Navy’s principal current shipbuilding projects.
The Government says the programme sustains 2,500 skilled jobs across Scotland and the wider UK supply chain. It also credits partnerships with colleges in Fife and elsewhere in Scotland with establishing 400 apprenticeships.
Babcock is contracted to deliver five Inspiration-class Type 31 general-purpose frigates. The ships are based on the company’s Arrowhead 140 design and are intended to operate alongside allies on maritime security, patrol and other Royal Navy missions.
HMS Venturer, the first vessel in the class, entered the water in 2025. HMS Active and HMS Formidable have also progressed through construction at Rosyth, placing the programme firmly into its multi-ship production phase.
Babcock says it has invested £100 million in Rosyth infrastructure over the past decade, with a further £55 million investment in advanced systems technology underway. Its modern assembly hall allows two vessels to be assembled alongside one another under cover.
Streeting highlights jobs and reindustrialisation
Nearly 12,000 jobs in Scotland are supported by defence, according to figures published by the Ministry of Defence alongside the visit.
Streeting said the combination of Rosyth’s shipbuilding heritage and modern technology created opportunities for employment and reindustrialisation as well as providing the Royal Navy with new warships.
‘Scotland sits at the heart of our national security.’
The statement reflects Scotland’s wider strategic role. Almost 10,000 Armed Forces personnel are stationed in the country. RAF Lossiemouth operates Typhoon fighter aircraft, while HM Naval Base Clyde is home to the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
The Government has separately announced £15.1 billion for the regeneration of HMNB Clyde as part of £26 billion intended to modernise critical naval-base infrastructure. Planned work includes waterfront facilities, maintenance capacity, training provision and accommodation.
Visit to forces housing in Edinburgh
Streeting also met service personnel and their families in Edinburgh and visited military homes which have received, or are undergoing, improvement work.
The sites included a roofing project at Redford Gardens and full upgrades at the Adams Well Estate.
The visit comes as the Government begins a promised £9 billion renewal of Armed Forces housing over the next decade. Ministers say 40,000 military homes—approximately nine in every ten properties across the estate—will be upgraded, modernised or rebuilt.
A new Defence Housing Service has also been established. The Government says it will introduce modern property standards, improve the experience of forces families and accelerate the delivery of housing on surplus defence land.
Poor military accommodation has been a longstanding source of complaints, including problems involving damp, mould, heating and slow repairs. The scale of the latest commitment is therefore significant, although its success will ultimately be judged by how quickly improvements become visible to personnel and their families.
Babcock welcomes Defence Secretary
Babcock chief executive Harry Holt said the Type 31 programme demonstrated how the defence industry supports skilled employment, apprenticeships and sovereign military capability.
He said the company wanted to work with Streeting and the Ministry of Defence as the Government implements its Defence Investment Plan and develops Britain’s domestic and export capabilities.
The Arrowhead 140 design has already attracted international interest. Variants have been selected for naval programmes in Poland and Indonesia, giving the Rosyth project an export dimension beyond the five ships being constructed for the Royal Navy.
Scotland’s growing defence role
The visit allowed Streeting to connect three major political priorities: strengthening the Armed Forces, creating skilled industrial jobs and improving conditions for military families.
Rosyth is an especially visible example of how defence spending can support manufacturing and apprenticeships outside southern England. The Type 31 programme has brought a sustained period of warship construction to the Fife yard and developed skills which could support future domestic and overseas contracts.
However, published investment totals and employment figures are only part of the picture. Maintaining Scotland’s contribution will require the ships to be delivered effectively, apprentices to progress into lasting careers and promised housing improvements to reach families across the military estate.
Streeting’s first Scottish visit as Defence Secretary was therefore both a celebration of work already underway and a statement of intent: the Government wants defence to be treated not solely as a security requirement, but as an engine for industrial growth across the United Kingdom.