NATIONAL ROLE

What part does Gibraltar play in the context of Britain's "national" naval role?
Perhaps I could start by saying that the Commander-in-Chief Fleet said to me at a meeting only two weeks ago that if Gibraltar didn't exist we would have to invent it.

We see through here in a normal year most of the operational naval surface ships and submarines. They come here on their way to their operational stations, they use the exercise facilities around here for tuning up their weapons systems before they go off to what in some cases could be considered a “war zone.”
And we are 1,000 miles nearer the threat than England is. So the navy finds that very convenient. In addition to that, the exercise areas around here are probably the best in the world - so, more and more, our ships are coming down here to do their training because in the cluttered areas of the North Sea, the Channel or north of Scotland, it is less easy to carry out this exercise and training.