'Government could save billions by changing nuclear weapons deterrent'
The Government could make significant savings on Britain's nuclear weapons deterrent without compro- mising its credibility, according to a study from an independent think tank.
Dispensing with the current practice of "continuous-at-sea deterrence" – which relies on one nuclear armed Vanguard- class submarine always being on patrol – could extend the life of the four boats well beyond 2024.
The new policy could also mean that the existing fleet is not replaced by as many submarines. That would save more than £11 billion, according to Nick Ritchie and Paul Ingram, authors of the report published by the Royal United Services Institute.
Their report suggested one submarine could remain in port on enhanced alert, being ready to sail at short notice if intelligence warned of an imminent attack.
Critics have suggested that a nuclear-armed submarine tied up in Plymouth, or Faslane in Scotland, would be an easy target.
Prior to the election the Liberal Democrats were alone in questioning whether a like- for-like system was needed to replace Trident.
The coalition Government has since said Trident would be scrutinised "to ensure value for money".
Comments
by Steve, Exeter
Sunday, May 23 2010, 8:46PM
“Times have changed since Trident came into service in the 1990s. The Cold War has ended and the types of threat we face now are very different.
Nuclear weapons can't defend us from terrorists, climate change, or cyber attacks, which are the new dangers. Spending huge sums of money on new nuclear weapons is dangerous and irresponsible when such threats are being ignored.
We should be spending money on ensuring that the British Army have the resources they need to win the war in Afghanistan - where they are currently having to be rescued by the Americans - rather than on a comfort blanket to protect us from vague, undefined threats in the distant future.
With big spending cuts in the pipeline - especially at the Ministry of Defence - we would be crazy to replace Trident with nw nuclear weapons.”