Nuclear Policy after the Cold War

Abstract

In July 1980 the British government announced that Britain’s nuclear deterrent of four nuclear-powered submarines each carrying 16 Polaris missiles was to be replaced by a similar number of missiles on a similar number of submarines, but the new missiles would be the most modern in the American arsenal — the Trident C4 — and they would be accommodated on new and larger submarines. In March 1982 it was further announced that American policy was being followed and that instead of the C4 version of Trident, Britain would acquire the even more modern D5.¹ This would allow for a longer range — up to 6,000 miles — and even more warheads, although the government took care to stress that it was not anxious to maximize the warhead potential.

This first appeared as ‘Britain and Nuclear Weapons’, in Michael Clarke and Philip Sabin (eds), British Defence Choices for the Twenty-First Century (London: Brassey’s, 1993) pp. 220–41.