nuclear-news

Split in UK’s governing coalition over nuclear missile program

(UK) Coalition split on post-Trident nuclear deterrentLib Dem armed forces minister criticises defence secretary Liam Fox’s assumption of like-for-like replacement Richard Norton-Taylor guardian.co.uk, 14 February 2011

• Deep fissures are opening up among the coalition’s senior defence policymakers over the future of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, the Guardian can disclose.

  The splits are being exposed as it emerges that senior officials have not drawn up assessments for ministers about alternatives to replacing the existing Trident fleet of nuclear submarines. Despite this, Liam Fox, the defence secretary, insists the fleet must be replaced by a “like for like” system.

  At the centre of the dispute is whether Britain should persist with a continuous at-sea deterrent (CASD) – that is, having one nuclear-armed submarine on patrol every day of the year.

Coalition split on post-Trident nuclear deterrent | UK news | The Guardian

February 15, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK