The Ministry of Defence budget has avoided drastic cuts, keeping plans to increase equipment spending by 1% annually after 2015. As the government prepares to publish the Trident Alternatives Review (TAR), political debates intensify over the renewal of the UK’s nuclear weapons system. The Liberal Democrats seek more affordable, flexible alternatives, while Conservatives support a like-for-like renewal. The upcoming General Election and international commitments further complicate the issue.
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Russia and the US: realising nuclear disarmament and building trust
According to the most recent estimate by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), the world's combined stockpile of nuclear warheads stands at more than 17,000. The US and Russia have over 93% of the world's nuclear weapons, with about 1,800 on high alert, ready to unleash their devastating explosive power against each other at short notice.
Getting to Zero: Further Reading
Earlier Detailed Proposals for Nuclear Disarmament
- Report of the Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction, Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms, (“Blix Report”), June 2006
- Japan Institute of International Affairs, the Hiroshima Peace Institute and the Japanese Government, Report of the Tokyo Forum on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, 1999
- Committee on International Security and Arms Control, National Academy of Sciences,
Getting to Zero Timeline: 2007
December 20, 2007: U.S. Special Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation, Christopher Ford, spoke at the UK Foreign Office Wilton Park conference about the goal of zero nuclear weapons:
TacNukes News No. 5
1. TNW and Confidence and Security Building Measures 2. The Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative at…
The French White Paper on Defence and National Security
The fourth French White Paper on Defence has just been unveiled on April 29th (five months delayed). In the end, it is an unremarkable, short document, whose political and military value may be questioned.
Scotland: Trident and the independence debate
“Should Scotland be an independent country”? That is the sole question Scotland’s four million voters will be asked in a referendum on 18 September, 2014 – the outcome of which will determine the future of their (or as a Scot myself, based in Washington, I should say “our”) country. A hugely complex question wrapped up in six arguably simple words. Should Scotland be an independent country: yes; or, no?
Iran at the 2013 NPT PrepCom: a short guide on statements and reports
On April 22nd, delegates from NPT member states gathered in Geneva at the 2nd Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meeting for the 2015 Nuclear Non-proliferation Review Conference. This PrepCom, spanning two weeks, was set to focus on a variety of nuclear issues, but ongoing international concern over Iran’s nuclear program meant many member states singled out Iran in their statements and reports, specifically narrowing in on issues such as non-compliance with NPT safeguards and the country’s opaque nuclear ambitions.