Conference Countdown 2015: Trident debate: the fourth way
Current Liberal Democrat policy is that we reduce our fleet of nuclear missile submarines from four to three - but reducing the cost of our nuclear programme by less than a quarter. Most of the time we intend to have a nuclear missile submarine at sea but not armed with nuclear missiles. However at times of international tension we would sortie a submarine armed with nuclear weapons. Trident and its successors are designed to penetrate sophisticated air defence systems such as those developed by Russia. I can think of no occasion when it would be rational for the United Kingdom to launch missiles at such a foe without the support of other major powers. [As I am not seeking to be prime minister I believe I can also safely say, as an aside, that I have also failed to imagine a scenario when it would be rational for us to launch missiles at such a foe with the support of our NATO allies.] No scenario in which an independent launch against such a major foe would be a sensible option has been put forward in the cu
