~ZeRO sTrEsS~
04-12-2006, 16:01
come mai tutti stanno rifacendo armamenti nucleari dalla russia alla GB
UK nuclear weapons plan unveiled
HMS Vanguard
Trident will reach the end of its scheduled life in 2024
Tony Blair is addressing MPs about his plans for the future of the UK's independent nuclear weapons system.
He is set to back a new generation of submarines to carry Trident missiles, although there is likely to be a cut in the number of submarines, and warheads.
A number of Labour MPs oppose the plan, but the Tories say it would be "crazy" not to have UK nuclear weapons. The Lib Dems want a decision put back to 2014.
MPs will vote on the plans in the new year after a three month consultation.
In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain... it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament
Liam Fox
Shadow defence secretary
Send us your comments
The lifespan of the current Trident system is said to end in 2024 and ministers have said a decision is needed now to ensure the replacement is ready by then.
Critics say there should have been consultation before the decision was announced in the white paper published on Monday.
'Nuclear club'
But Mr Blair's official spokesman said it was "one of the most serious decisions any government can take... it's right and proper that the government takes on itself the duty to put a firm proposal to Parliament and for Parliament to vote on that".
Mr Blair says the system - 64 Trident missiles based on four Vanguard-class submarines nuclear submarines - is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself.
TRIDENT MISSILE SYSTEM
Trident
Missile length: 44ft (13m)
Weight: 130,000lb (58,500kg)
Diameter: 74 inches (1.9m)
Range: More than 4,600 miles (7,400km)
Power plant: Three stage solid propellant rocket
Cost: £16.8m ($29.1m) per missile
Source: Federation of American Scientists
How Trident works
Defence chiefs are understood to have ruled out basing a new weapons system on land or planes.
Instead Mr Blair is expected to say, as he unveils the white paper to MPs in the Commons, that he backs a new generation of submarines able to carry both the existing Trident missiles and any successor missile.
Officials have dismissed reports that the new generation of missiles would be built abroad.
Critics argue that a Trident-type system is outdated now that the Cold War is over. The issue has divided Labour MPs.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle told the BBC it was a "very inopportune moment" to replace Trident, adding: "We don't need to rush to some kind of decision over the next few months as appears to be the government's wish."
'Crazy'
Critics believe the estimated £10-25bn cost would be better spent elsewhere - saying Trident was designed for the Cold War era, not the current threats to the UK such as international terrorism.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson
It's hard to see what the point of the Cabinet's discussion was...
BBC political editor Nick Robinson
Read Nick's thoughts in full
Kate Hudson, from the anti-nuclear pressure group, CND, told BBC Five Live: "If we go ahead with developing new nuclear weapons, we can be absolutely certain that many other countries will proliferate nuclear weapons and we are going to end up with a situation of nuclear war."
Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell wants the number of UK warheads halved to 100 - a move he said could help kickstart multilateral disarmament.
But for the Conservatives, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain - where countries like North Korea are developing nuclear weapons - where countries like Iran are trying to develop nuclear weapons - it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament."
He said the decision was about protecting the UK from 2025 to 2050: "We don't know what we will face at that time. One thing we know is that you can't suddenly conjure up a nuclear deterrent if you require it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6205174.stm
UK nuclear weapons plan unveiled
HMS Vanguard
Trident will reach the end of its scheduled life in 2024
Tony Blair is addressing MPs about his plans for the future of the UK's independent nuclear weapons system.
He is set to back a new generation of submarines to carry Trident missiles, although there is likely to be a cut in the number of submarines, and warheads.
A number of Labour MPs oppose the plan, but the Tories say it would be "crazy" not to have UK nuclear weapons. The Lib Dems want a decision put back to 2014.
MPs will vote on the plans in the new year after a three month consultation.
In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain... it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament
Liam Fox
Shadow defence secretary
Send us your comments
The lifespan of the current Trident system is said to end in 2024 and ministers have said a decision is needed now to ensure the replacement is ready by then.
Critics say there should have been consultation before the decision was announced in the white paper published on Monday.
'Nuclear club'
But Mr Blair's official spokesman said it was "one of the most serious decisions any government can take... it's right and proper that the government takes on itself the duty to put a firm proposal to Parliament and for Parliament to vote on that".
Mr Blair says the system - 64 Trident missiles based on four Vanguard-class submarines nuclear submarines - is an essential part of Britain's ability to defend itself.
TRIDENT MISSILE SYSTEM
Trident
Missile length: 44ft (13m)
Weight: 130,000lb (58,500kg)
Diameter: 74 inches (1.9m)
Range: More than 4,600 miles (7,400km)
Power plant: Three stage solid propellant rocket
Cost: £16.8m ($29.1m) per missile
Source: Federation of American Scientists
How Trident works
Defence chiefs are understood to have ruled out basing a new weapons system on land or planes.
Instead Mr Blair is expected to say, as he unveils the white paper to MPs in the Commons, that he backs a new generation of submarines able to carry both the existing Trident missiles and any successor missile.
Officials have dismissed reports that the new generation of missiles would be built abroad.
Critics argue that a Trident-type system is outdated now that the Cold War is over. The issue has divided Labour MPs.
Former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle told the BBC it was a "very inopportune moment" to replace Trident, adding: "We don't need to rush to some kind of decision over the next few months as appears to be the government's wish."
'Crazy'
Critics believe the estimated £10-25bn cost would be better spent elsewhere - saying Trident was designed for the Cold War era, not the current threats to the UK such as international terrorism.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson
It's hard to see what the point of the Cabinet's discussion was...
BBC political editor Nick Robinson
Read Nick's thoughts in full
Kate Hudson, from the anti-nuclear pressure group, CND, told BBC Five Live: "If we go ahead with developing new nuclear weapons, we can be absolutely certain that many other countries will proliferate nuclear weapons and we are going to end up with a situation of nuclear war."
Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell wants the number of UK warheads halved to 100 - a move he said could help kickstart multilateral disarmament.
But for the Conservatives, shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "In a world that's becoming increasingly uncertain - where countries like North Korea are developing nuclear weapons - where countries like Iran are trying to develop nuclear weapons - it seems crazy for us to say we will have one-sided disarmament."
He said the decision was about protecting the UK from 2025 to 2050: "We don't know what we will face at that time. One thing we know is that you can't suddenly conjure up a nuclear deterrent if you require it."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6205174.stm