nuclear-news

UK’s Trident nuclear missiles, super expensive, and useless anyway

Many among the top brass think we cannot afford them, and not a few regard nuclear weapons as unusable and pointless anyway.

The truth is that these armaments are essentially political not military weapons…..By whom are we to be attacked? Terrorists? In that case, against whom would we retaliate? Who do we deter?.

What price the nuclear club?  Mail Online, UK, 15 Sept 10, The Defence Budget is being seen in Whitehall as an obvious candidate for stern cuts; and this has raised the question of the expensive renewal programme for Trident – and even the point of the thing…...the policy of deterrence can, in fact, be reduced to having nuclear weapons but keeping their deployment secret – vague but menacing. This is the Israeli policy and it might be studied more carefully.

That is if we continue to believe in the value of such weapons at all.

Many among the top brass think we cannot afford them, and not a few regard nuclear weapons as unusable and pointless anyway.

The truth is that these armaments are essentially political not military weapons.

They are supposed to keep our place at the top table diplomatically, though since the nuclear club now extends to Pakistan and North Korea, one marvels at their supposed value even to diplomats.

They make less and less sense either militarily or diplomatically.

By whom are we to be attacked? Terrorists? In that case, against whom would we retaliate? Who do we deter?

It never even made sense during the Cold War since our quite puny deterrent could be used only in conjunction with the U.S. But it enabled us to huff and puff as if a major power.

Taxing question the TUC doesn’t want you to hear | Mail Online

September 16, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons