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Trident

BASIC is seeking to foster informed debate over Britain’s nuclear weapon system, which is currently composed of a fleet of four Vanguard submarines carrying Trident missiles. As part of this effort, BASIC has set up the Trident Commission, an independent, cross-party panel to examine the United Kingdom’s nuclear weapons policy and the issue of Trident renewal.

In 2006-07, the British Government, then led by the Labour Party, decided to move ahead with Trident replacement. The current government is set to proceed down this path, but not without tension. During the 2010 General Elections, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, had publicly argued against the Conservative position supporting like-for-like replacement, and did so again in August 2010. There has been clear conflict between the Treasury and MoD over where the money for replacement will come from.

The government has excluded the Trident system from the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) on the presumption that Trident should be fully replaced, but is allowing a value-for-money review of the 2007 decision, as well as a review of nuclear declaratory policy.

Moreover, the U.S.-UK relationship and America’s own decisions on nuclear weapons technology may also influence how replacement will take shape.

The Trident Commission will operate under the chairmanship of Lord Browne of Ladyton (Des Browne), former Labour Secretary of State for Defence, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former Conservative Defence and Foreign Secretary, and Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and Shadow Foreign Secretary.

Please visit the following page for more information about the Commission:

http://www.basicint.org/tridentcommission

 

Below are links to other resources for this ongoing debate:

Click the picture above or view on YouTube - Paul Ingram, BASIC’s Executive Director, discusses decisions around the United Kingdom’s Trident nuclear weapon system.

Courtesy of TalkWorks Films 2010: A Virtual Open Forum on Nuclear Disarmament: 

http://www.talkworks.info/Talkworks_Films/Welcome.html

 

Publications:

  • Nuclear Weapons, the State of Play in 2011. Briefings on Nuclear Security 1. BASIC, alongside Pugwash and Acronym,  has launched a series of background briefings targeted at British MPs on the UK’s nuclear weapons policy and its context, July 2011. 
  • Deterrence in the Age of Nuclear Proliferation. Briefings on Nuclear Security 2. BASIC, Pugwash and Acronym. This is the second of the series of background briefings targeted at British MPs on the UK’s nuclear weapons policy and its context, July 2011.
  • Trident: The Initial Gate Decision. Briefings on Nuclear Security 3. BASIC, Pugwash and Acronym. This third briefing on Nuclear Security focuses on the Government’s announcement of the passing of the Initial Gate decision for the Trident renewal project on 18 May, 2011
  • What’s Next with Trident in the United States?
    Chris Lindborg and Christopher Carr
    This brief reviews the United States’ strategic nuclear submarine program within the context of U.S. and U.K. plans for replacing their fleets, April 2011.

  • A crisis in financing Britain’s replacement of Trident? Paul Ingram and Dr. Nick Ritchie
    It is time to reassess options for the replacement of the Trident nuclear missile submarines in the light of indications that the capital cost, to be funded from the Defence Ministry’s core budget, could run to 28 billion pounds over the next 10-15 years. But Ingram and Ritchie also argue that it would be a mistake to base a decision on cost alone, August 27, 2010.

  • US General says UK to get rid of Trident, Paul Ingram, February 2, 2009.
  • Oceans of Work: Arms Conversion Revisited, by Dr. Steven Schofield, January 24, 2007. The government launched its White Paper on Trident replacement on 4th December and announced a debate and vote in the Commons for March. This report puts the alternative case for arms conversion as integral to a ‘national needs’ program of civil R&D and manufacture, including major investment in off-shore renewable energy, both for security of supply and to help tackle the growing international threat for climate change.
  • UK Trident Replacement: too important to rush into, December 14, 2006. In a White Paper published on December 4, 2006 the Government decided to maintain the current Trident-based nuclear deterrent by procuring a new class of submarines. There are several reasons for believing that this decision is premature and can be delayed for a further 8-10 years. There are also significant military, strategic, procurement and diplomatic benefits to holding off a decision for another parliament. Given these advantages, the onus was on the Government to justify such an early decision. 

 

February 01, 2011