"Senior executives from the UK submarine industry have formally warned parliament that the indigenous capability to design and build nuclear-powered submarines will be jeopardised unless the government makes a firm commitment to a successor submarine programme to replace the four current Vanguard-class boats from about 2024. Giving evidence before the House of Commons Defence Committee (HCDC) officials from both BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce said that the industry needed a firm commitment from government on a future submarine build programme in order to assure continuity of work and long-term viability."