The Conservative-led government of austerity Britain is facing the sacrifice of its sacred cow of high military spending—to preserve the even more precious elephant in the room: the UK’s ‘independent’ nuclear weapon.
Programmes
Changing threats and shrinking budgets: something has to give
Defense budgets have hit the headlines again this week, as United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samantha Power, flew to Brussels to urge European nations to rethink their defense spending plans.
After Netanyahu’s Speech: Will the U.S. Give Diplomacy A Chance?
On Tuesday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to United States Congress members urging them to block any deal with Iran on its nuclear program and raise support for more sanctions against the nation.
Parliamentary Event: A Memo to the next Prime Minster on the Nuclear Question
The issue of the replacement of Trident is already receiving more attention due to speculation about the general election result and it will, anyway, be an issue demanding attention early on in the new government in the context of continuing budgetary pressures and ongoing international strategic priorities. This briefing will lay out the range of options regarding the decision currently scheduled for 2016 for any follow-on nuclear weapon system for the UK including:
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Going ahead with like-for-like renewal of the submarine fleet in 2016
Carrington Series: Trident Renewal and Continuous-at-Sea Deterrence
On 4th March 2015, Chatham House hosted an invitation-only event in the Carrington Series on Trident renewal and continuous at sea deterrence.
Nuclear weapons, financing, and Russia’s armed forces reform
Recent Developments in Russia's Nuclear Posture
Since 2008, the Russian government has undertaken an initiative to overhaul its conventional armed forces, with a target completion date of 2020.
BASIC response to ‘Retiring Trident’
Today Centre Forum published the report ‘Retiring Trident: An alternative proposal for UK nuclear deterrence’ by Toby Fenwick. This report is an important and timely contribution to the debate on options facing an incoming government. BASIC does not endorse this option specifically, though the paper is well argued and an excellent response to those who assert that like-for-like replacement of Trident is the only credible nuclear weapons option for the United Kingdom.
If we want a nuclear weapons free world then we need to change the rules of the game
Representatives from China, France, Russia, the US and UK (the five official nuclear weapon states under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty), convened in London last week for a meeting of the so-called ‘P5 process’.