§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on changes in(a) training and (b) watch-keeping practices in the Royal Navy since the attack on the USS Cole; [89874]
(2) if he will make a statement on resources allocated to research into protection of warships from suicide attacks since the USS Cole incident. [89873]
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§ Mr. IngramDetailed classified guidance on countering the Asymmetric threat has been issued to all Royal Navy and RFA vessels, and this guidance is reviewed regularly. In addition, Operational Sea Training has been improved to take into account new trends in Force Protection.
Ships in United Kingdom military ports are now protected by armed gangway personnel. Also, units deployed to high risk ports will, as required, put in place enhanced Force Protection methods in the form of booms and physical barriers, with the agreement of the host nation.
A team has been set up within the Fleet Headquarters specifically to deal with Force Protection issues.