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Media AdvisoryGovernment White Paper on Trident - Worse than Irrelevant?Contact:
London and Brussels, December 3-4, 2006The government's White Paper on Trident replacement to be published on Monday December 4, is expected to propose that Britain spend billions of pounds on a new generation of submarine-based nuclear weapons for the next 50 years, either Son of Trident or Trident-lite, its slightly-reduced sibling. The real options facing Britain are analysed in detail in Worse than Irrelevant? British Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century, by Dr Rebecca Johnson, Nicola Butler and Dr Stephen Pullinger, including the one that would best reflect our actual security needs (that the Government is keen to ignore) - not replacing but scrapping Trident. The 76-page report critiques: Trident like-for-like replacement; Trident-lite; adapting Astute-class submarines; returning to air-launched nuclear weapons; and service life extension. It examines the assumptions of deterrence and considers the relevance of UK nuclear weapons for national defence, international prestige, and related legal and non-proliferation issues, and argues that our national security requires the government to promote more effective strategies to marginalise nuclear weapons and strengthen the multilateral non-proliferation regime. These authors are available in London and Brussels to provide alternative views on Trident replacement and the White Paper. "The Prime Minister's push for a quick decision is about superficial politics, not necessity. In view of Mr Blair's demonstrably bad judgment on so many other security issues, including Iraq, how could anyone trust that his prematurely-decided position on a replacement for Trident would be the right choice for Britain?" commented Dr Rebecca Johnson, lead author of the report. "Trident replacement would just underscore Britain's nuclear dependence on US technology and Pentagon decision-making, and undermine the UK's international security and non-proliferation objectives," said Nicola Butler. "The Government has to explain how it aims to prevent the deadly spread of nuclear weapons around the world, while simultaneously insisting that such weapons are vital for Britain's security," said Dr Stephen Pullinger. Dr Rebecca Johnson is executive director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, consultant for the UN and former special advisor to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, chaired by Dr Hans Blix. Contact 077 333 60955 Dr Stephen Pullinger is Executive Director of the International Security Information Service (ISIS-Europe) Contact +32 (0)2 230 7446 Nicola Butler is Deputy Director of the Acronym Institute, before which she worked in Washington DC, with a specialist interest in US-UK nuclear relations. Contact 0208 440 9276 © 2006 The Acronym Institute. |