Ministry of Defence

Milford Haven named as potential site for new UK munitions factory

Published

7 months ago

November 19, 2025

Pembrokeshire suddenly thrust into front line of UK rearmament drive after damning defence committee report saying is “nowhere near” prepared for war

MILFORD HAVEN has been confirmed as one of just two prospective sites in Wales for a major new UK munitions factory, as MPs warn that Britain is “nowhere near” prepared to defend itself from a modern military attack.

A hard-hitting report from the House of Commons defence committee, published early this morning (Wed, Nov 19), concludes that the UK lacks a coherent plan to protect itself or its overseas territories, at a time when security threats across Europe are “significant” and rapidly escalating.

The committee says the UK is failing to meet its NATO obligations and has fallen “far short of its claimed leadership position”. It raises particular concerns about Britain’s lack of air and missile defences, slow civil-defence preparation, and heavy reliance on the United States for critical military capabilities.

The report lands on the same day that the Ministry of Defence formally identified 13 possible locations for a new network of explosives and energetics factories – and Milford Haven is on the list.

Milford on a shortlist of 13 – and one of only two in Wales

Defence Secretary John Healey will this week unveil plans to return the UK to “war-fighting readiness”, restarting domestic production of energetics – the highly specialised explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics essential for modern weapons systems.

For the first time, the MoD has publicly listed the regions it is considering.

In Wales, there are only two candidates:

Monmouthshire, and
Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.

Milford Haven’s inclusion places the town firmly inside a national defence restructuring effort worth £1.5bn and expected to deliver at least six new munitions plants before the 2029 General Election. Work on the first sites is intended to begin next year.

The MoD has not published exact site boundaries, but the Haven’s obvious candidate is the long-dormant armament complex at Newton Noyes/Black Bridge, a former Royal Naval Mining Depot with underground magazines, rail links and direct access to a deep-water port.

The depot, built in the 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War, remains one of the few purpose-constructed subterranean munitions storage systems in the UK.

***Black Bridge, a former Royal Naval Mining Depot*** **has been standing empty for years** **(Pic: File)**

UK warned it is “not ready” as threats grow

The timing of Milford Haven’s appearance on the defence shortlist is striking.

After an 11-month inquiry, MPs on the defence committee warn that:

Britain has “next to nothing” in integrated air and missile defence,

the UK and Europe remain dangerously reliant on US support,

civil-defence preparations have progressed at a “glacial pace”,

and the UK’s ability to resist a modern armed attack may fall short of Article 3 NATO obligations.

Committee chair Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said the public must be more honestly informed about the “level of threat we face and what to expect in the event of conflict.”

He added: “Wars aren’t won just by generals, but by the whole of the population getting behind the Armed Forces.”

Why Milford? Deep-water access, freeport status, and a ready-made site

Although no final decision has been made, defence analysts say Milford Haven has several features the MoD is likely to prioritise:

Deep-water access for shipment of munitions.

Existing hazardous-industry zoning due to LNG terminals and refineries.

Celtic Freeport status, offering flexible planning and tax incentives.

Historical armaments infrastructure, including covered tunnels and magazines.

Strategic position on the western flank of NATO’s air and sea routes.

The choice of Milford is also consistent with the MoD’s wider strategy to spread munitions and explosives manufacturing across the UK, reducing reliance on a small number of ageing sites such as Glascoed in Monmouthshire.

In Milford HAven, the most obvious candidate is the dormant RNAD Blackbridge / Newton Noyes complex on the banks of Castle Pill — the deep-cut tunnels and reinforced magazines built before the Second World War to store and load naval mines.

The site has been fenced off and unused for years, but remains one of the few purpose-built underground armament depots with direct deep-water access anywhere in the UK.

A site left empty after £685m renewable-energy plan collapsed

Locals will remember that Blackbridge only narrowly escaped a very different future.

In 2018, the site was tied to a huge £685m green-energy project proposed by Egnedol. The company had bought both the old armament depot and the former Waterston refinery with plans to build an advanced biomass and renewables complex expected to create over 500 jobs.

However, after an 18-month planning inquiry, Welsh Government ministers rejected the scheme. A planning inspector found the development would cause “unacceptably harmful” impacts on the local landscape, with major ecological concerns and “important shortcomings” in environmental data.

Since then, the tunnels and magazines at Blackbridge have remained empty, idle and largely untouched.

Now, in a dramatic shift of context, the MoD is considering bringing the site back to its original purpose — not clean energy, but munitions and explosives manufacturing.

Conservative Sam Kurtz MS was happy with the news. He said:” I’m pleased to see Pembrokeshire highlighted by the UK Government.

“Having written to the Secretary of State for Defence back in June to set out Pembrokeshire’s strategic importance, and having raised the issue on several occasions in the Senedd Chamber, this could mark encouraging progress for both our local economy and our national security.

“Pembrokeshire has a proud military heritage, and there is no reason it cannot be at the forefront of our military present and future. I will continue to work with Paul Davies MS to champion our County.”

Jobs boost – or risk to the Haven’s image?

A new munitions plant could bring hundreds of skilled technical and engineering jobs, along with guaranteed long-term MoD contracts and supply-chain work for Welsh firms.

But the proposal will divide opinion:

Some will welcome a stable, high-paid manufacturing base at a time when the energy sector is in transition.

Others will raise questions about safety, environmental impact, the Haven’s reputation as a tourism gateway, and the symbolism of returning explosives production to a town long known for its oil and gas terminals.

Environmental groups have previously warned that further hazardous development must be balanced carefully within the protected marine environment of the Haven waterway.

What happens next?

John Healey (pictured) is expected to provide additional detail in a speech on Wednesday, alongside confirmation of two new drone-manufacturing centres in Plymouth and Swindon.

The MoD says at least six of the thirteen shortlisted sites will be chosen for development, with construction expected to begin in 2026.

Local councils – including Pembrokeshire County Council and the Port Authority – are likely to be contacted shortly for technical assessments and land-availability studies.

A full public consultation is expected if Milford Haven is formally proposed.

For now, Milford is simply on the map. But for a town whose wartime tunnels have lain silent for 40 years, today’s announcement is the clearest signal yet that the UK’s new defence era may begin in places long thought forgotten.

Ministry of Defence

Campaigners target £50m Welsh drone expansion after Aberporth protest

Published

5 days ago

June 1, 2026

Tom Sinclair

ANTI-ARMS campaigners have accused the UK and Welsh Governments of turning west Wales into a centre for military drone development following protests in Cardigan and Aberporth.

West Wales Against Arms said its members took part in the Red Line for Palestine action in Cardigan on Saturday (May 23), before staging a vigil outside MOD Aberporth on Sunday (May 24).

The group says the demonstrations were aimed at drawing attention to the role of defence companies QinetiQ and Tekever in the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in west Wales.

The protest comes after the announcement of a £50m Wales Defence Growth Deal, which ministers say will support high-skilled jobs and strengthen Wales’ role in autonomous technology.

Campaigners, however, argue that public money should be spent on health, housing and public services rather than expanding military testing and drone development.

A spokesperson for West Wales Against Arms said: “From Cardigan’s march on Saturday to Aberporth’s vigil on Sunday, the message was the same. We see what is happening. We see who is enabling it. And we refuse to be quiet.

“This is not what we want for West Wales or for any part of the UK. It will leave less investment into health and housing and keep Wales complicit in the arms trade and the genocide in Palestine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.”

MOD Aberporth, near Cardigan Bay, has long been used for the testing of weapons systems and unmanned aerial systems.

QinetiQ operates at the site, while Tekever owns West Wales Airport. The two companies have previously announced plans to work together on developing uncrewed systems capability in the UK.

The UK Government has said the Wales Defence Growth Deal will help Welsh communities benefit from high-skilled roles, support small and medium-sized businesses, and improve access to defence contracts.

But campaigners say the deal raises serious ethical questions about the direction of public investment in Wales, particularly while the conflict in Gaza continues.

West Wales Against Arms has also published a pamphlet, Exposing the War Machine in Aberporth, setting out its claims about the defence industry in the area.

Community

DARC radar: Campaigners ask Welsh Government to call in planning application

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PARC AGAINST DARC has submitted an official request asking the new Welsh Government to call in the planning application for the proposed DARC radar array in Pembrokeshire.

The campaign group, which was set up in 2024 to oppose the US military-linked Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability project, says the decision is too significant to be left to Pembrokeshire County Council alone.

Campaigners say the development, proposed for Cawdor Barracks near Brawdy, would have national implications for Wales, the environment, tourism, the local economy and military strategy.

The request follows the appointment of Rhun ap Iorwerth as Wales’ new First Minister and the naming of Siân Gwenllian as Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, Housing and Planning.

PARC said the election of a Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government marked “an extremely promising step forward” for the campaign, citing Plaid’s previous opposition to the scheme.

Planning decision

The Ministry of Defence submitted the planning application for the radar array to Pembrokeshire County Council in April.

The application is currently open for public comments, with the publicity period running until Wednesday (May 20).

The DARC project would involve the construction of 27 radar dishes close to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Campaigners have described the proposal as a “military monstrosity” and claim it would allow the United States to project military power into space from Welsh soil.

They also dispute claims that the scheme would bring major local employment benefits, saying the MOD’s own environmental information describes the number of jobs as “low” and “not significant”.

PARC argues that any limited job creation would be outweighed by the removal of hundreds of personnel from Cawdor Barracks.

‘Call it in’

The campaign says the Welsh Government should take over the decision because of the scale and significance of the proposal.

In its request, PARC argues that DARC is “clearly a nationally significant development” and should be considered in the wider context of Wales’ national priorities.

The group is urging members of the public to use its online tool to ask Welsh ministers to call in the application.

PARC said: “We are thrilled that Plaid Cymru, an anti-DARC government, has taken the reins in Cardiff.

“The election of the new Welsh Government is a huge and seismic development from our perspective.

“Today, as we submit our official call-in request to the newly formed Welsh administration, we know that as we fight to save our precious St Davids peninsula from being turned into a massive military target, we do so in the knowledge that the party in control of Wales has a proud and strong history of standing up for the people of Wales and standing for peace.”

Public opposition

PARC says public opposition remains overwhelming.

The campaign claims that an updated MOD consultation summary shows 498 public responses were received, with 401 using PARC’s template objection email and the remaining summarised comments also appearing to oppose the scheme.

The group says it is preparing a 150,000-word planning objection, covering visual, economic, military, strategic and consultation concerns.

Campaigners also point to protests, widespread media coverage and a petition with around 19,000 signatures opposing the project.

Plaid Cymru figures have previously spoken against DARC.

In April 2024, Cefin Campbell tabled a statement of opinion in the Senedd opposing the proposal, while Plaid Westminster leader Liz Saville-Roberts later submitted an Early Day Motion at Westminster.

Mr Campbell said at the time: “Plaid Cymru has a long and honourable history of promoting peace around the globe and opposing militarism at every level.

“We cannot therefore support the construction of DARC and give space to American militarism on our land.”

PARC said the campaign was “still far from won” but had taken “a huge step change in the right direction” following the election result.

Ministry of Defence

Official application lodged for controversial Pembrokeshire space radar scheme

Published

1 month ago

April 30, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

THE MOD has submitted a formal planning application for the controversial DARC space radar scheme at Cawdor Barracks near Brawdy.

The Ministry of Defence wants to install 27 radar antennas and associated infrastructure at the former RAF site as part of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, known as DARC.

The project would form part of a global network of sensors across the UK, USA and Australia under the AUKUS defence partnership.

The system is designed to track satellites, space debris and other objects in orbit, providing 360-degree coverage of the sky in all weather conditions and at all times of day.

Cawdor Barracks was named as the preferred UK site in late 2023 by the then Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

A supporting statement submitted with the application says the scheme would improve the UK’s ability to detect, identify and track objects in Earth orbit.

It states: “This capability is critical to protect and defend the services provided by satellites, ensuring continuity and resilience against collisions or debris-related incidents.”

The document also says the loss of GPS services alone could cost the UK an estimated £1.422 billion per day.

The application says the scheme would create around 90 full-time equivalent construction jobs and 60 full-time equivalent operational jobs, including maintenance and security roles.

The MoD says the project would help protect critical national infrastructure in orbit and provide data to UK Government departments, the Met Office and the UK Space Agency.

However, the plans remain controversial locally.

St Davids City Council recently voted unanimously to oppose the pre-application consultation proposals.

Objectors have raised concerns about the impact of the development, with protests taking place outside Cawdor Barracks and County Hall in Haverfordwest.

Labour Senedd candidate Eluned Morgan has also called for the scheme to be put on hold while Donald Trump is President of the United States.

Pembrokeshire County Council will now consider the application.