UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has announced the creation of a new £48m chemical weapons defence facility.
The new chemical weapons defence facility will be located at the current Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, UK, where scientists aided in the identification of the Novichok nerve agent, which was used earlier this week in an attempt to murder former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
The establishment of the new facility is in direct response to the attack on Skripal, which Williamson said highlighted the UK’s vulnerability to attacks by chemical weapons. Novichok agents were developed by the Soviet Union and UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the attack on Skripal was either “a direct action by the Russian state”, or that Russia had lost control of the nerve agent.
The announcement came just a day after May ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the country.
Why does the UK need a new facility?
Williamson said that while the UK is well-prepared for chemical, biological and radiological attacks, the evolving nature of threats and the increasing capabilities of potentially hostile countries mean that more research is needed.
He explained: “We know the chemical threat doesn’t just come from Russia but from others. We will be strengthening [our] capability by investing £48m in a new chemical weapons defence centre to ensure we maintain our cutting edge in chemical analysis and defence.”
Williamson added that as the UK moves towards Brexit, its division from the EU could be viewed as a weakening of the country’s defence capabilities by hostile countries. Therefore, by investing in a new chemical weapons defence facility, the UK will aim to retain its competitive advantage in the field of defence.
In addition to the new centre, the defence secretary also announced that thousands of British troops will be vaccinated against anthrax as a precautionary measure. Anthrax is a biological agent which was used in a series of terror attacks in the US in 2001.
