"While Trump is in charge, we certainly cannot rely on America as a dependable ally in the way we used to. And we can no longer bet our nation's security on the hope that the US won't produce new versions of Trump in the future. So the real question is not whether we should build a sovereign British nuclear deterrent. The question is what happens if we don't."
"The UK's nuclear programme, Trident, based at Faslane, near Glasgow, on the River Clyde, is heavily dependent on US input. The weapons are manufactured in the US and have to be returned there regularly for maintenance."
"If the answer to 'Is our nuclear deterrent working?' depends on what Donald Trump had for breakfast, then the answer is, 'No, it's not'. And our deterrent is not truly independent. This should be keeping British defence planners awake at night."
Ed Davey, Liberal Democrats leader, advocates for Britain to develop a fully independent nuclear deterrent, manufactured and maintained entirely within the UK rather than relying on US support. He contends that the current Trident system, based at Faslane near Glasgow, is heavily dependent on American input, with weapons manufactured in the US and requiring regular maintenance there. Davey argues that Trump's conditional approach to European security makes the US an unreliable ally, and Britain cannot depend on America's future leadership remaining supportive. He frames this as a critical national security question, suggesting that a truly independent deterrent should be a priority for British defence planning.
#nuclear-deterrent #british-defence-policy #us-uk-relations #trump-administration #national-security
Read at www.theguardian.com
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