Trident alternatives under review

Monday, June 29, 2009

The government is reportedly reviewing the Trident replacement programme in an effort to both find savings and appease Labour backbenchers and core voters.

An official announcement could be made sometime this autumn before the Labour party conference in Birmingham.

In terms of defence, a cut to or elimination of Trident could result in substantial savings for the MoD at a time when it faces one of the bleakest budget situations ever.

MoD procurement officials are believed to already be studying alternatives to the £20bn programme.

These include going ahead with the Vanguard replacement programme, but with less boats, and going ahead with the Vanguard replacements but extending the life of the current warheads by 15-25 years. This would bring the warhead replacement programme into line with the US and may allow the two countries to partner together on the project.

Some commanders may feel uneasy about the former option given the fact that recently two of the submarines were out of service due to major repairs. In the future a similar scenario could leave Britain with one or zero active nuclear deterrent submarines.

Other options include an aircraft that carries a nuclear payload. It would be launched from one of the two new aircraft carriers which would have to be on deployment at all times. This however would force Britain to build the new carriers, an option still under review, and create a lower profile for the carrier fleet.

A final option would be to have a land based ballistic nuclear missile system. This option would be among the cheapest but it would limit Britain's ability to respond to threats in Asia, in particular, North Korea.

The new Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is believed to be open to the idea of at least reviewing the Trident programme.

HAVE YOUR SAY

How does having the UK's nuclear deterrent on the two new carriers reduce the profile of the carrier fleet?

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They would have to keep the location of the carrier with the deterrent on it secret at all times. These well publisised port calls, media events down at Portsmouth, and training exercises around the world would have to end.

The Web Editor
Martin Bayliss - Stroud/UK

Mr Ainsworth and his department should read modern history, the reason Trident and Polaris before it, exist is that aircraft and cruise missiles are venerable to air defences and detection long before they get a chance to launch or hit their target.
tim dainton - romsey

1 TRILLION POUNDS CAN BE FOUND TO RESCUE THE UK's INSOLVENT BANKS BUT THE UK ALLEGEDLY 'CAN'T AFFORD TO DEFEND ITSELF'- BUNK!!!"

Whatever the state of US-Russian relations, the United Kingdom is likely to be back-stopping the US as it has done, productively, for decades following WW II...

In pondering how the UK ought to be approaching Russia in coming decades & in deliberating the possible future size/equipping of the UK's Armed Forces, UK politicians & bureaucrats would do well looking back in history- particularly to the pre-WW II period...

It was only, barely, 6 years between 1933 when Hitler and his Nazi party gained control of then Germany's governmental structures and 1939 when the world was plunged headlong into WW II...

Because there is a comparative calm upon the world today in terms of dangerously oppositional relationships between the world's present great powers is not reliable-logic or trustable-evidence that today's situation could not change overnight:

1) Russia is reactivating two of its retired Typhoon SSBNs:

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20090703.aspx

2) Russia Might Complete Bulava Flight Tests in 2009:

http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20090618_6389.php

3) Russia Set to Build New Nuclear-Armed Submarine:

http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20090626_8028.php

4) Russia to build eight nuclear submarines:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/3124166/Russia-t...

5) President Medvedev visited Sevmash, inspected "Yury Dolgoruky":

http://www.barentsobserver.com/president-medvedev-visited-sevmash-inspec...

6) State-of-the-art nuclear submarines to the Russian Navy:

http://www.barentsobserver.com/index.php?id=4608935

7) Russia to lay down 2nd Graney class nuclear sub in July:

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20090625/155349485.html

"...Under the Russian State Arms Procurement Program for 2007-2015, the Navy will receive several dozen surface ships and submarines, including five Project 955 Borey nuclear-powered strategic ballistic missile submarines equipped with new Bulava ballistic missiles, two Project 885 Yasen nuclear-powered multipurpose submarines, six Project 677 Lada diesel-electric submarines, three Project 22350 frigates and five Project 20380 corvettes."

A United Kingdom with an adaquate-sized Astute class submarine fleet (IE- (16) or more- not just (4) as is currently planned) & a new generation Trident missile & nuclear submarine fleet/delivery system- even if never used in war- is still a better off country than one which, in effect, decides to disrobe itself on-the-world-stage and invite the savage beasts of the international foreign-policy jungle to afternoon tea...

If anything, planning proposals for the next generation of UK Trident are too modest: the proposed new nuclear missile carrying submarines are significantly undersized and would carry far too few Trident missiles...

The UK ought to be developing both its missile system and new-model ICBM carrying nuclear submarines jointly with the United States, which also is in planning stages to replace its present Trident missile/nuclear submarine system...

The US's new Trident-missile carrying submarines will each be able to be armed with double the number of Trident-missiles the UK's proposed new Trident submarines will... in their current form...

Roderick V. Louis,
Vancouver, BC, Canada,
ceo@patientempowermentsociety.com
Roderick V. Louis - Vancouver, BC, Canada,

i believe trident should go ahead we need a deterent in this country other wise we leave ourselves open to attack the safest thing for britain is to have these submarines
b atkinson - barrow in furness

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Trident alternatives under review

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