The surge in breaches has reignited concerns over the potential for conflict escalation (Image: Getty)
Britain’s nuclear submarine base has seen a tenfold increase in the number of security incidents since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Data obtained by LBC through Freedom of Information Requests reveals that HMNB Clyde, the home of Britain’s nuclear weapons, saw reported security breaches rise from 16 incidents in 2021 to 149 in 2025. HMNB Clyde is one of three active Royal Navy bases in the UK, alongside HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth. Serving as the Royal Navy’s Scottish headquarters, it is most widely recognised as the home of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, housing submarines armed with Trident missiles.
The nearby Royal Navy Armaments Depot at Coulport, which stores Trident warheads, also experienced a worrying rise in incidents, with 19 breaches reported last year compared to only nine in 2021. Defence analysts warn these trends signal an escalation in the hybrid threats facing the UK.
Breaches have risen from 16 incidents in 2021 to 149 in 2025 (Image: Getty)
The Ministry of Defence did not provide specific details about the nature of each incident. However, it said that they “refer to – but are not limited to – incidents of minor breaches, mis-accounted documentation, lost ID cards and breaches of personal electronic device zones and general data protection regulation.”
Former Head of the British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders told LBC: “One thing you can be absolutely certain of is that when we look at the threat that Russia poses to Europe, that hybrid threat, that sub-threshold threat, whether that is around attacks on critical national infrastructure, on undersea cables, cyber attacks, assassinations, that full range, we’re going to experience that at a much greater scale and intensity than we have.
“We also need to tie those hybrid threats to the potential for above threshold attacks as well.”
Christopher Steele, former head of MI6’s Russia desk warned that the Kremlin is significantly intensifying its operations against UK infrastructure.
He said: “Russia regards itself as in a state of war now with not just Ukraine, but also Ukraine’s main allies in Europe, including the UK.
“In fact, our intelligence suggests that Moscow now regards the UK as its main foreign adversary rather than the US since Trump came back to office.”
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Former senior British Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram MBE also told LBC: “The thing that concerns me is the trend of breaches is going up. Now, that can be down to two things.
“One, people are being more diligent and reporting incidents, but it’s actually an indication that there is likely to be more incidents.
“We are seeing alongside this, reports of lack of investment in our nuclear deterrent capability and our armed forces; put all of that together and it’s a very worrying trend… And not just Russia, China as well, they’re trying to get access to our nuclear secrets.”
Chair of the Defence Select Committee and MP for Slough, Tan Dhesi, emphasised the evolving nature of threats, including drone incursions over military bases. He said: “These figures are extremely concerning…This is something that the Defence Committee has also discussed when we were recently over at His Majesty’s Naval Base, Clyde, or more commonly known as Faslane.
“We discussed the security issues there, including the ability, for example, of drones to be going into or hovering over our military bases. There’s been an increased propensity for that to happen and not just above airports.”
A Royal Navy spokesperson said:”We place the highest priority on the safety and security of our operations and as is routine for national security reasons, we do not disclose specific site security arrangements.
“Improved security awareness and a stronger reporting culture among personnel have led to an increase in reported incidents, regardless of their severity.”
