KOFAC Action Plan 2018-20

To advance KOFAC’s mission distributing its messages efficiently and to explain the national security business case for 7 Astute Class attack submarines and 4 Dreadnought Class submarines supported by ASW aircraft and for having a strong fleet of warships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ships.
To persuade Ministers and industry leaders of the need to sustain critical capability and skills in the naval shipbuilding and submarine industrial base so that the Royal Navy can have the equipment and industrial through life support it needs.
To also highlight the socio-economic and defence risks associated with workload gaps and to sustain highly skilled jobs and their salary levels.

Promote opportunities for Barrow shipyard to be used to support the delivery of design, build, test and commissioning of large nuclear-powered submarines and complex warships and for Cammel Laird shipyard to develop its warship and support ship build capability alongside delivery of submarine modules.
To continue to influence national trade unions policy so that they support continued investment in nuclear powered ‘attack’ and nuclear-powered ‘strategic deterrent carrying’ submarine programmes.
To help BAE Systems, and its supply chains promote the digital shipyard capabilities and career opportunities that high technology advanced shipbuilding systems engineering offers to people of all ages.
To attend the Annual Conferences of the political party in power.
To continue to undertake robust research to enable KOFAC to both progress its aims and objectives and influence as many people as possible all based on a sound policy and information base.

Core Messages from KOFAC

The first duty of government is to ensure the security of Britain and its people.
In an uncertain world where nuclear weapons exist as long as nuclear weapons exist there is a need to retain a strong, safe, secure and reliable nuclear deterrent.
Except in the USA and UK the idea of eliminating nuclear weapons has not been proposed or seriously considered by nuclear weapons states.
Unilateral disarmament will not encourage other nations to disarm. Britain has reduced its nuclear arsenal, but this has not led to other states to cease improving their nuclear inventions.
There is no other ‘cost effective’ value for money affordable alternative to Dreadnought submarine deterrent capability as a means of maintaining the UK’s minimum credible nuclear deterrent. A submarine launched ballistic missile system offers invulnerability
Range and endurance, credibility of the ultimate safeguard of our national security.
Continuously at sea deterrent patrols (CASD) must be maintained in the interests of national security.
Equipping Astute Class submarines with nuclear armed cruise missiles is not an option due to cost and technical challenges.
31,000-40,000 jobs depend on the submarine supply chain in the UK, so this is an issue that is vitally important for the whole of the submarine industrial base and the communities that surround each company with it.
Cammel Laird shipyard has special expertise in operating in support of the submarine warship and Royal Fleet Auxiliary supply chain and industrial base.