Failure to (re)launch
July 15th, 2009 | nuclear weapons Royal Navy Submarines | Posted by Andrew Scutro
//U.S. Navy
There’s a steady cascade of reports out of Great Britain about a lack of support for Royal Navy involvement in the next iteration of the Trident missile submarine. The argument is that with likely threats not coming from an actual country that can be punched back with a sea-launched ballistic missile, scarce dollars, if spent on the military, should be spent to defend against more likely threats. Prominent former military leaders have called for plans to improve the sea-based deterrent to be cast aside.
The U.S. Navy asked for $495 million in the 2010 defense budget to begin work on a future replacement for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine. Since the U.S. and British boomers share the Trident ballistic missile technology, the Royal Navy has been assumed as a partner in updates to the missile systems.