British Navy’s Response To Iran Delayed. Repair Yard Only Works Nine-To-Five, Union Says

The Royal Navy’s mission to counter Iranian drone threats has been delayed in port as maintenance work at the Portsmouth repair yard proceeds under limited working hours.

The mission, aimed at helping protect a British airbase from Iranian drone strikes, remains on hold while engineers complete welding and system upgrades during standard shifts, according to union officials cited by The Telegraph. The deployment of HMS Dragon, a Type 45 air-defense destroyer built to intercept high-speed missiles and drones, to Cyprus has been postponed after the Ministry of Defence and private contractor Serco reportedly implemented restricted work schedules as part of a cost-cutting effort.

Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy criticized the current arrangement, arguing that national security should not depend on workers volunteering for overtime. The union, which represents engineers and tugboat crews responsible for preparing ships for deployment, says the new labor agreement effectively ended round-the-clock staffing at the Portsmouth naval base.

“Our members are stepping up to help, but such a vital service shouldn’t be dependent on goodwill from staff,” Clancy said, according to The Telegraph. “Out-of-hours support should be built into the contract. This agreement has failed its first real test during a serious crisis and needs urgent review.”

Defense Minister Al Carns acknowledged that the warship will not depart until engineers complete “a variety of different bits of maintenance” needed for its upcoming Mediterranean mission. He explained that HMS Dragon had originally been configured for a different assignment and required adjustments to its weapons systems to counter aerial threats such as drones.

While HMS Dragon remains in dry dock, the United Kingdom is trailing some allied forces that have already deployed to the region. Military analysts note that the destroyer is expected to arrive in Cyprus roughly two weeks after French and Spanish naval vessels reached the area.

Serco Marine Services, the company responsible for port operations, rejected claims that work schedules have slowed the deployment, saying its standard working hours run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“HMS Dragon is being prepared to sail with the full support of our dedicated teams in Portsmouth,” a company spokesperson told The Telegraph. “Serco has completed every task requested by the Royal Navy on time and to the agreed standard. Any suggestion that employee working patterns have affected HMS Dragon’s readiness to sail is completely untrue.”

Union sources, however, maintain that some tasks covered by the contract are limited to weekday hours, which they say has reduced essential coverage and left the Navy relying on volunteers to work weekends in order to prepare the ship for combat readiness.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States had launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel’s Operation Lion’s Roar, beginning a large-scale air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear facilities and military infrastructure. Iran responded by striking targets across at least nine countries, including locations in the Gulf and the Mediterranean.

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