[wanabidii] New SIPRI NET publication: Role of UK's nuclear contribution to NATO is 'exaggerated'

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Announcement, 1 December 2015 New publication

New study finds role of UK's nuclear contribution to NATO is 'exaggerated' A new report on the contribution that Britain's nuclear weapons make to the NATO alliance concludes that their political significance ‘may be exaggerated’ and their role in relationships with NATO partners is ‘hotly contested’. The report, published today by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and the UK-based Nuclear Education Trust (NET), shows that UK strategic nuclear weapons have been a constant ‘contribution’ to NATO nuclear doctrine since the late 1950s but that ‘the exact nature of that contribution has become increasingly obscure since the end of the Cold War’. Download the report.

The report, ‘The British bomb and NATO: Six decades of ‘contributing’ to NATO’s strategic nuclear deterrent’, 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 analysis is particularly topical in the light of the current UK Strategic Defence and Security Review and the imminent 'Main Gate' decision on Trident replacement. Strategic arguments for Britain retaining nuclear weapons have tended to fall into three broad categories: use in the last resort to deter a nuclear attack or nuclear blackmail; to provide reassurance in a potential future with many nuclear powers; and that an independent UK nuclear weapon system is necessary for Britain’s role in NATO. The report is also topical given that NATO is re-evaluating the role of nuclear scenarios and the use of nuclear weapons in its crisis-management exercises. According to a recently declassified US intelligence review, a nuclear weapons command exercise by NATO in November 1983, known as Able Archer, almost led to an inadvertent nuclear war. SIPRI's Ian Davis, who authored the report, said:  “Despite Russian nuclear sabre rattling, it was only two years ago that Moscow had a seat at the NATO table.  Is it really appropriate for the alliance to be returning to such a dangerous practice? “Instead, the alliance ought to be focusing on how to modernise the rules for reducing tensions, incidents or accidents that create misunderstandings – both conventional and nuclear – to minimise the risk of them spiralling out of control’, he added. ”Given the importance of nuclear weapons in both UK national security and NATO collective security thinking, both the UK Government and NATO ought to be willing to set out in some detail how they see the UK’s nuclear weapons contributing to the alliance’s continuing effectiveness and deterrent capability” For more information please contact: Ian Davis, SIPRI: davis@sipri.org  0046 766 286 126 Dave Webb, Nuclear Education Trust: 07717 606189 Peter Burt, Nuclear Education Trust: 07790 409339   Notes for editors: The Nuclear Education Trust is a UK charity that works to advance understanding of arms control and disarmament, defence and security, with an emphasis on nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, through education and research. Report author Dr Ian Davis joined SIPRI in November 2014 as Director of the Editorial, Publications and Library Department. He is responsible for all aspects of producing the flagship SIPRI publication, the SIPRI Yearbook, as Executive Editor. Prior to joining SIPRI he held several senior positions and worked as an independent human security and arms-control consultant. He has a long record of research and publication on international and regional security issues, and blogs on NATO-related issues at www.natowatch.org. For information and interview requests contact Stephanie Blenckner (blenckner@sipri.org, +46 8 655 97 47) or Kate Sullivan (sullivan@sipri.org, +46 8 655 97 81). Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide.

RELATED PUBLICATION

The British bomb and NATO: six decades of contributing to NATO's strategic nuclear deterrent The 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. Publisher: SIPRI 46 pp. November 2015. Download the report

© SIPRI 2015. Contact SIPRI by email: sipri@sipri.org; telephone: +46 8/655 97 00; fax: +46 8/655 97 33; or post: SIPRI, Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70 Solna, Sweden, or visit us online at www.sipri.org This message was sent to wanabidii@googlegroups.com. If you would prefer not to receive emails from SIPRI simply unsubscribe.

 

 

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