The BASIC-TLG roundtable, which took place in the House of Lords on October 12, 2010, discussed current UK policy and Its implications, and alternative ways forward for the UK.
Chatham House Rules were applied to this meeting and notes are not attributed to particular individuals.
The impact of the election of Tea Party-backed Republicans in the November 2010 midterms on President Barack Obama's nuclear non-proliferation agenda.
At the UK-France summit in London earlier today, David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy issued a declaration and signed a formal Defence Treaty that signalled a new era of defence cooperation. Letters of intent were exchanged and a Road Map agreed for deeper cooperation in the future. Three years in the making, the arrangement focuses on joint capabilities and procurement, but also to a limited extent, operations. There are two areas of specific note in the nuclear field:
[Trident replacement would] “be easily the most expensive defense procurement project for the decade from 2015/6, sucking the finances out of other major projects.” says Paul Ingram, executive director of BASIC. To read more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-cirincione/british-budget-collapse-f_b_769959.html
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Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed before Parliament today that based upon a completed “value for money review” of the United Kingdom's deterrent, “the decision to start construction of the new submarines need not now be taken until around 2016.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted other changes in the nuclear posture:
Paul Ingram, BASIC's Executive Director, discusses decisions around the United Kingdom's Trident nuclear weapon system.
