Abstract
Britain is not an independent nuclear power. Its nuclear warheads and delivery systems depend upon American supplied management and technology and have done so since the dawn of the nuclear age. For years these matters were classified and today both governments only supply partial information. Nevertheless, an analysis of the historical records and such government information as is available, particularly from U.S. sources, shows clearly that the U.K. has no independence of procurement and little if any genuine independence of operation. This reality has never been made clear to the public or to many in government and the political and media elites. As a result, the debate in the U.K. and internationally on the future of nuclear weapons is conducted on the false premise that the U.K. is an independent nuclear power.
Highlights
The Committee highlighted Colin Gray’s evidence that “for anyone who wishes to question the true independence of the British nuclear deterrent I would concede that it is ... a hostage to American goodwill ... the dependency is critical and will continue.” Interestingly, Colin Gray is doyen of the self-styled realist school of international relations theorists for whom the concept of “goodwill” has no influence on the actions of states
The article first discusses the history of American support for U.K. weapons of mass destruction and examines the present state of dependence with respect to the Trident system before concluding that the United Kingdom has no nuclear weapons option other than dependence on the United States
In contrast to the other major nuclear powers, the United Kingdom has no independence of procurement and great difficulty even in the short-term in using the system it has procured from the United States
Summary
Agreement with the United States, existing technology and corporate engagement would be withdrawn by the U.S and U.S companies. Despite the great effort to produce the atomic bomb and jet bombers to carry them, the advanced development of next-generation technology, hydrogen bombs, and ballistic missiles, by both the United States and Russia in the 1950s made it politically impossible for the United Kingdom to afford an independent nuclear weapons system. In 1957, with great difficulty and expense, the United Kingdom exploded its first hydrogen bomb and, shortly thereafter, the United States agreed to provide full support for the British nuclear weapons program. In all the main aspects of nuclear weapons – explosive materials, warhead design and construction, and missiles – the United Kingdom has no independence
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