Pembrokeshire MP and Wales' First Minister clash over radar project

Pembrokeshire’s Labour MP and Wales’ own First Minisetr and Welsh Labour leader seem to be at different ends of spectrum when it comes to their views on proposals to develop a Deep Space Advanced Radar in the county.
Eluned Morgan, First Minister of Wales and Labour Senedd candidate for Ceredigion Penfro, has called to halt the defence project proposed for the county, as the Ministry of Defence pushes forward with plans to develop the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability programme based in her constituency.
The proposal is a joint UK, US and Australia project which the First Minister claims should be paused at a time when the USA is proving to be such an unreliable ally.
The proposal will soon be put forward by the MoD for planning permission to develop the project at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, in the heart of Miss Morgan’s constituency.
The proposal would include hosting a network of ground based radars which would track objects in high Earth orbit. It would use 27 large parabolic dishes to monitor satellites and debris.
The Pembrokeshire base would be one of three locations – the others in the USA and Australia.
The current First Minister of Wales, who lives in St David’s, and represents the area where the base is located, remarked: “Trump’s hostility towards the UK and verbal attacks on our nation in the light of the Prime Minister’s refusal to give the US President support in the attack on Iran should lead us to pause our involvement in this proposal.
“His threats to annihilate the Iranian civilisation reached a new low recently and we should not be associating ourselves with such an unreliable partner who threatened war crimes on civilians, and have insulted UK armed forces in terms of their commitment to fight in Afghanistan.”
The pre-application consultation has recently ended, and the expectation is that the MOD would lodge a formal planning application with Pembrokeshire County Council thereafter.
However, Labour MP for South Pembrokeshire, Henry Tufnell has welcomed the proposals, criticising the First Minister’s stance, calling it a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity for the County’
“I’m concerned that the First Minster appears to not want the local jobs and economic growth on a project that is unlikely to be operational until after the Trump administration,” he stated.
“Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage.
“I am working closely with MoD officials to ensure that the views and concerns of local residents are fully heard and addressed. It is vital that any environmental and public health concerns are addressed, and the project must deliver genuine, tangible benefits for local workers and the wider community.
“The UK Government is resolute on using defence to keep our country safe and revitalise the industrial heartlands of our United Kingdom,” he added.