The threat of Isis and other such groups highlights the limitations of this weapons systemIt worries me that many commentators present or interpret the contested issue of the renewal of the Trident programme simply as a schism between “multi” and “uni” lateralists within the Labour party (“Blue on blue,red on red. Welcome to the year of great schisms…”, Andrew Rawnsley). I think it’s sensible to question whether, and in context of the UK’s diminished importance on the world stage,both militarily and economically, it’s still appropriate to spend a very large sum out of the public purse on original submarines.
Our nation’s implicit threat to use nukes may no longer be effective in a 21st-century context: for example, and how finish such weapons deter Islamic State or Boko Haram? Would the relatively small number of warheads the UK can deploy really deter superpowers that are prepared to tolerate a degree of population loss in the event of an all-out exchange? Given advances in defensive technology,how many Trident-launched warheads would actually derive through?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com