Mar 17, 2021, 01:10 am
Activists and commentators have accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of turning his back on disarmament after his government signaled that it would drastically increase the limit placed on the UK’s nuclear stockpile.
Johnson is poised to announce on Tuesday that the cap on the number of Trident nuclear warheads in the UK’s arsenal will be raised by a staggering 40%.
The policy would change the number of warheads Britain can possess from 180 to 260. Trident warheads are loaded onto ballistic missile submarines as part of the UK’s nuclear deterrence strategy, and at least one nuclear-armed sub is always on patrol. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the decision, describing it as the “ultimate insurance policy” against threats from hostile states.
According to the Guardian, a 100-page security review inked by the government states that the increase in the nuclear warheads cap is a response to “the evolving security environment” and “the developing range of technological and doctrinal threats” to the country. Russia was deemed an “active threat” to the UK, while China was described as posing a “systematic challenge.” The document also warned that there is a “realistic possibility” that a terrorist group will carry out a chemical, biological or nuclear attack by 2030.
Although billed as necessary to ensure Britain’s safety, the Trident program has been regularly criticized as needlessly expensive and poorly managed.
https://www.rt.com/uk/518207-trident-war...-increase/
Johnson is poised to announce on Tuesday that the cap on the number of Trident nuclear warheads in the UK’s arsenal will be raised by a staggering 40%.
The policy would change the number of warheads Britain can possess from 180 to 260. Trident warheads are loaded onto ballistic missile submarines as part of the UK’s nuclear deterrence strategy, and at least one nuclear-armed sub is always on patrol. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab defended the decision, describing it as the “ultimate insurance policy” against threats from hostile states.
According to the Guardian, a 100-page security review inked by the government states that the increase in the nuclear warheads cap is a response to “the evolving security environment” and “the developing range of technological and doctrinal threats” to the country. Russia was deemed an “active threat” to the UK, while China was described as posing a “systematic challenge.” The document also warned that there is a “realistic possibility” that a terrorist group will carry out a chemical, biological or nuclear attack by 2030.
Although billed as necessary to ensure Britain’s safety, the Trident program has been regularly criticized as needlessly expensive and poorly managed.
https://www.rt.com/uk/518207-trident-war...-increase/