Expert Questions British Nuclear Plan

A U.S. expert is questioning plans by the British government to replace its Trident nuclear missile system, the BBC reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 17).

“The government is hastening into this decision before the facts are really available to it,” said physicist Richard Garwin, one of the designers of the first U.S. hydrogen bomb.

British Trident submarines are now due to be decommissioned in 2024.  Prime Minister Tony Blair has argued that the United Kingdom needs to maintain its deterrent in the face of the threats of terrorism and nuclear proliferation.  Work on a replacement must begin now, as the country would need 17 years to design, build and commission a new submarine, according to a government white paper issued in December.

British lawmakers are expected to vote on the plan in March, the BBC reported.

Garwin said yesterday that U.S. Trident submarines have expected life spans of 45 years.  The U.S. vessels spend a greater amount of time at sea than British Trident submarines, he told the House of Commons Defense Select Committee.

He said the British submarines should last until at least the 2030s.

“I would expect that the U.K. submarines, from the point of view of wear-out, would last 100 years,” Garwin said.  “I see no reason why they shouldn’t last for 45 years” (BBC News, Jan. 23).

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