Disarmament DiplomacyIssue No. 25, April 1998UK Eliminates Air Force Nuclear WeaponsOn 31 March, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that it had completed the process of decommissioning the Royal Air Force's WE-177 nuclear free-fall bombs. The original schedule, announced by the previous Conservative Administration in 1995, aimed to complete decommissioning by the end of 1998. No details were given about plans for the storage and destruction of the bombs and weapons-grade materials. Report: Britain cuts nuclear arsenal, Associated Press, 31 March. © 1998 The Acronym Institute. |