The British bomb and NATO : six decades of contributing to NATO's strategic nuclear deterrent / Ian Davis

SIP1511

"November 2015".

UK strategic nuclear weapons have been a constant contribution to NATO nuclear doctrine since the late 1950s, but the exact nature of that contribution has become increasingly obscure since the end of the cold war. This report reviews the NATO political and military structures that influence the UK's nuclear weapons policy, how the UK's contribution to NATO's nuclear forces is valued by NATO allies, and the implications for NATO-UK relations of a decision not to replace Trident. The author finds that the British Government and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) should clarify in public statements how they see the United Kingdoms nuclear weapons contributing to NATO’s continuing effectiveness and deterrent capability. In particular, the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) provides the perfect opportunity for the British Government to explain how it sees the proposed Trident replacement system contributing to NATO going forward. This discussion should be part of a wider debate on the future of deterrence.

This report started out as a request from the Nuclear Education Trust in early 2014 for a background paper on the linkages between the UK’s Trident nuclear weapon system and NATO. The aim was to publish it in advance of the NATO Wales Summit in September 2014. All parties agreed to resurrect the project this year, timed as a contribution to the UK’s forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review.

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