The United Kingdom will participate in NATO’s nuclear nuclear deterrence, in addition to the underwater deterrence it has today, buying twelve F-35 aircraft capable of transporting nuclear eyes, Downing Street said Tuesday.
The last British airborne nuclear weapon was a tactical nuclear bomb that was in service from 1966 to 1992 in the Royal Navy and until 1998 for the RAF (the Air Force).
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, will announce Wednesday in the Hague Alliance at the Hague Summit, which is, according to his office, “the greatest strengthening of the United Kingdom nuclear system in a generation.”
The Secretary General of the Mark Rutte Alliance, also cited, was “strongly congratulated” for this announcement, which, according to him, makes “a new solid British contribution to NATO.”
“The return of the need for nuclear weapons”
From the end of the Cold War, British nuclear deterrence as part of the Atlantic Alliance was only guaranteed by the submarines of the Royal Navy.
At that time, “there was no interest in tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, because the threat had disappeared,” said Héloïse Fayet, a nuclear specialist at the France International Relations Institute (IFIRI).
Therefore, the country would find France who has two means for deterrence: the Strategic Air Force (FAS) created in 1964 and naval deterrence through Nuclear Submarine Machine Spear (SNLE) that constantly patrols in the seas and oceans and the nuclear naval force (Fanu). On the other hand, Paris no longer has what is called the triad (the three media to launch a nuclear weapon) since it no longer has the earth’s component.
Future British F-35a combat planes of the American manufacturer Lockheed Martin are a variant of F-35b already used by the United Kingdom, with the difference that they can be equipped with nuclear eyebrows in addition to transporting conventional weapons.
The acquisition of “at least twelve” of these hunters constituted a long data application for the British Air Force.
“In a way that is not independent, but in concert with the United States”
“In an era of radical uncertainty in which we can no longer consider the acquired peace, my government is investing in national security, ensuring that our armed forces have the team they need,” said Keir Starmer.
The United Kingdom has already committed on Monday to achieve the objective established as part of NATO to dedicate 5% of its gross domestic product to security expense. Faced with the Russian threat, and under the pressure of President Donald Trump, NATO countries are preparing to announce a agreement on this goal by 2035. London had already expressed in February its intention to bring its defense budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, then 3% after 2029.
British defense minister John Healey warned on Tuesday that the United Kingdom “faced new nuclear risks, other states increase, modernize and diversify their arsenals.”
“Do not control these weapons”
Seven NATO members, including the United States, Germany or Italy, currently have double -capacity aircraft to transport nuclear nuclear eyes of the United States B61, stored in European soil, and which should also be those used by the United Kingdom.
But when they will be equipped again, the British “will not have control over these weapons, which are used within the NATO framework and can only be used with the United States agreement,” says Héloïse Fayet.
At the beginning of June, the United Kingdom announced the construction of up to twelve attack nuclear attacks and six ammunition factories, in order to reactivate the country in front of the “threat” placed in particular by Russia.
These are twelve nuclear propulsion submarines with conventional weapons, within the framework of the Aukus military alliance, with the United States and Australia.
Keir Starmer had also confirmed that the United Kingdom would spend fifteen billion sterling (17.7 billion euros) for its nuclear eyelets.
Source: BFM TV
