Debate on British Tridents Set to Begin

Debate could begin next week in the British Parliament on whether to replace the submarine-launched Trident nuclear missiles, the London Guardian reported today (see GSN, Nov. 10).

A quick decision is needed, Prime Minister Tony Blair told Cabinet ministers yesterday.  He appears to be pushing for approval of the Trident system replacement before he leaves office next year.

The government is preparing to publish a white paper backing the need for a continued nuclear deterrent.  The House of Commons is expected to get a vote on the issue, the Guardian reported.

There are four options regarding the Trident:  complete disarmament; maintaining the present missiles for an extended period, directly replacing the system; or developing a new submarine or air-based system.

The cost for replacement has been estimated at more than $37 billion over three decades.

Work on a replacement deterrent would have to begin soon in order for it to be ready by the mid-2020s, at which time the Trident system will have reached the end of its planned life span.

Conservative Party lawmakers are expected to support maintaining a British deterrent, while members of Parliament from the ruling Labor Party have argued that replacing the Trident would constitute a violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, Nov. 17).

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