§ Mr. BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Vanguard will make her first deterrent patrol; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindI am glad to inform my hon. Friend that HMS Vanguard, the first of the United Kingdom's four Trident submarines, is at present at sea on her first patrol. HMS Vanguard's entry into service on time is a major achievement for a project of this scale and complexity, and marks a key point in the progressive replacement of the Polaris force by Trident. The Trident system will ensure that the United Kingdom's strategic deterrent will remain effective well into the next century.