Letter David Lowry: I am very pleased that Jeremy Corbyn has opened a wide-ranging debate in the Labour party over nuclear WMDs, and I share his opposition to these deadly weapons. But I think he is misguided in proposing going ahead with building the missile-carrying nuclear-powered submarines as a replacement for Trident, but deploying them without any arms. This would be a massively expensive make-work programme for the existing and future workforces at Barrow shipyard, and the manufacturing supply chain, serving no purpose other than appeasing his trade union backers, who themselves, after decades resisting defence diversification, ought now to wake up to its merits for their members. Your security expert Richard Norton-Taylor is correct to point out that the shipbuilding expertise of the Barrow workforce could be much better deployed in building surface ships and perhaps conventionally powered and armed submarines.
Guardian 19th Jan 2016 read more »
The UK’s nuclear deterrent force currently consists of four Vanguard-class submarines each capable of carrying up to 16 Trident II D-5 ballistic nuclear missiles. At least one submarine is constantly on patrol, while one undergoes maintenance and the other two carry out manoeuvers. Aboad each submarine are 16 nuclear missiles, capable of hitting a target up to 7,500 miles away.
Telegraph 19th Jan 2016 read more »