Over the past couple of years, the question of the UK’s own WMDs, the Trident thermonuclear missiles, has once again come to the fore. The government has already assured parliament that, unlike previous major decisions on nuclear weapons, the future of the Trident system will be properly debated. The British Government is working on a replacement for the aging Trident nuclear weapons system - despite the fact that such a replacement:
1. Will cost billions of pounds of public money,
2. Has not been discussed or debated in Parliament,
3. breaks international law,
4. Undermines international arms control treaties,
5. Will encourage nuclear proliferation
There are three parts to the Trident system - submarines, missiles and warheads. Although each component has years of use left, they cannot last indefinitely and would begin to end their working lives sometime in the 2020s. A replacement system would need many years of development, so it is being debated now.
What exactly is going on?
The British and US Governments are no longer pretending that nuclear weapons are a ‘ deterrent’. The US Government has a highly dangerous fantasy that it is desirable to use military technology to gain and maintain permanent ‘global dominance’ of trade, investment, communications systems and access to all resources. Such is the size of the US military budget that the US alone spends over 40% of the world’s military expenditure. The British Government is using the same arguments as the US to justify expenditure on new weapons and military hardware.
The British Government is also developing what it calls a ’sub strategic’ role for nuclear weapons, where some Trident missiles could carry only a single warhead, but the capability of carrying 48 warheads on each of the four submarines would be maintained.
Raising the issues and engaging opinion-formers and stakeholders a powerful coalition of 100 scientists, lawyers, church leaders, actors, writers and MPs is today demanding a halt to the rush by Tony Blair towards a replacement for Britain’s Trident nuclear weapon system.
Prominent astrophysicist Stephen Hawking is among the prominent figures fronting the campaign. No doubt, his presence in the list will add weight to the voices raised against the Government’s drive for a replacement for Trident.
Concerns about the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons were cynically misused as a justification for the war on Iraq; however, proliferation is a matter that demands international attention. The worthy aim of stopping such proliferation is being hampered by a piecemeal approach and skewed by national interests. The only sustainable and just solution to proliferation is universal disarmament. Whilst this is an idealistic goal, it is achievable if nations are willing to work together and apply the same rules to all, without prejudice or favor.
