SPECIAL Boat Service forces struggle to train because they do not have a big enough swimming pool, an MP claims.
The elite commandos need a giant pool to practise their stealth techniques using mini-submarines, Conservative Richard Drax said.
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The unit, the sister service of the feared SAS, use secret mini-submersibles to sneak into hostile territory and sabotage enemy shipping Credit: alamy
The existing facility in Poole, Dorset, was “not fit for purpose” and the frogmen rarely used it, he added.
The unit, the sister service of the feared SAS, use secret mini-submersibles to sneak into hostile territory and sabotage enemy shipping.
Mr Drax said: “They need a pool of some size and depth where they can train in a realistic environment.
“If we can’t provide our own Special Forces with the most basic facilities, then I can’t think of a higher priority, other than accommodation.”
The commandos routinely train in Poole Harbour and the Channel, around Mr Drax’s constituency.
But he said the weather limited when they could train at sea — and urged the Government for “money to come cascading down”.
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Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin said it was up to Strategic Command — which leads UK Special Forces — to prioritise its budget.
He said: “If they don’t get it, it is only because there are items which are even more important than our Special Forces.”
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