Developments in anti-submarine warfare could be decisive. Emerging developments in technology that are transforming our lives and already revolutionising the battle-space in air and on land could ensure that submarines will no longer be stealthy in the foreseeable future, however silent they are. This is undeniable, and claims that these risks are minimal to Trident’s future are patently false. The judgement comes in assessing this risk and when it becomes operational, based upon the speed of technology development today, and what countermeasures that could be developed. This briefing outlines the risk and its consequences to the programme.
Trident Alternatives Review
NEW REPORT: Trident in UK Politics and Public Opinion
BASIC releases today a new report examining Trident in UK politics and public opinion on nuclear weapons, involving a comprehensive review of the polls over the last eight years and including two new polls released today. This comes on the eve of the publication of the government’s Trident Alternatives Report (TAR), to be published on Tuesday and debated in Parliament on Wednesday. The BASIC report is intended to complement the TAR with the political and public opinion context.
Give us genuine nuclear choices
Paul Ingram was featured in the Letters section of the Evening Standard as he called for political leaders in the UK to consider genuine steps down the nuclear ladder after the release of the government's Trident Alternatives Review on July 16th.
Read the article by clicking the PDF link below.
Commentary on the UK Trident Alternatives Review
The government published its Trident Alternatives Review earlier today. This short briefing gives an immediate response. BASIC will later this year be publishing the results of the Trident Commission, considering the broader issues that form the context of the decision.
Today’s technical government review has highly political roots in the desire by Liberal Democrats to ask two key (strategic, political) questions:
U.K. Finds ‘Credible’ Alternatives to Submarine Nukes Won’t Come Cheap
Elaine Grossman interviews BASIC's Paul Ingram and Rebecca Cousins for this article about the findings of the UK government's Trident Alternatives Review and the implications for the nuclear debate in Britain.
Read the full article on the Global Security Newswire:
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/uk-finds-credible-alternatives-submarine-nukes-wont-come-cheap/
Defence chiefs back Trident replacement as LibDems declare coalition dividing line
The Herald Scotland highlights the political divide over the government's Trident Alternatives Review. The article references BASIC's report, 'Trident in UK Politics and Public Opinion'.
Read the full article on the Herald Scotland's website:
The British Trident debate: an opportunity for progress?
Whether you support or oppose them, nuclear weapons have become an entrenched part of the British security discussion, with periods of major debate – in the 1960s and 1980s especially – leaving a lasting impact on the national psyche. But it’s rare that we have the chance to see governments – in the UK or elsewhere – step back and engage in truly forward-thinking, public consideration of why that is the case, and what the alternatives might be. This could be one of those moments for the UK. Could. Whether it will or not, remains to be seen.
Trident in UK Politics and Public Opinion
Nuclear weapons policy looks set to feature as a political issue in the 2015 general election. A broad consensus on UK nuclear weapons policy since of the end of the Cold War amongst the party leaderships of the three main Westminster parties has been disturbed by the debate on whether and, if so, how to replace the current Trident nuclear weapons system. This has been exacerbated by a coalition government in which the Liberal Democrats have broken ranks and moved towards active consideration of a smaller, cheaper replacement for Trident that does not entail continuous deployment of nuclear weapons at sea.