The £73m for providing police protection is a hidden cost which is not generally considered in the debate about the costs of the UK's nuclear programme. The cost of providing armed policing at military nuclear sites is budgeted as £53.8 million over the 2016-17 financial year, with a further £6.0 million allocated for nuclear tactical support. The MDP's policing plan gives separate costs for police escorts for nuclear convoys (£5m a year) and marine patrols at the submarine bases (£8.9m a year). Other costs – such as the share of headquarters, training, and criminal investigation costs relating to nuclear policing – are not included in these figures, and nor are the costs of providing additional policing resources for large demonstrations at nuclear bases. The costs of providing military protection for the UK's nuclear weapons and submarines, provided by Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines, is also accounted for separately.  Read more here