nuclear-news

Britain can’t really afford its billions pounds nuclear missile system

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury are in a spat over who should foot the 20 billion pound ($31 billion) bill to renew the Trident submarine-based nuclear missile system.

UK defence industry asks who will pay for nuclear deterrent , LONDON Aug 27 (Reuters) – Britain’s biggest defence industry trade body urged the government on Friday to clarify who will pay for a new nuclear deterrent, voicing fears that its high cost could hit orders for other military equipment.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Treasury are in a spat over who should foot the 20 billion pound ($31 billion) bill to renew the Trident submarine-based nuclear missile system.

The defence budget — 36.9 billion pounds ($57 billion) this year — is likely to shrink by up to 20 percent by 2015 as the Conservative-led coalition takes drastic action to rein in a record peacetime budget deficit.

If the MoD has to pick up the bill for Trident, it could force even deeper cuts than expected to spending on conventional defence, leading to fewer equipment orders — a worrying prospect for defence contractors…….

UK defence industry asks who will pay for nuclear deterrent | Energy & Oil | Reuters

August 27, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons