Scottish Trident nuclear plans would leave UK without deterrent
The abandonment of Faslane in an independent Scotland would lead to the rest of the UK following suit, according to a leading defence expert
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland committed to banishing nuclear warheads from Faslane would impose disarmament on the whole of the UK, a leading defence expert declares today.
In an article for Scotland on Sunday, William Walker, professor of international relations at St Andrews University, says the SNP policy of removing Trident from Scotland after independence would “amount to a promise to shut down the UK’s nuclear deterrent and enforce its disarmament”.
As a result, an independent Scots government might have to compromise on removing the weapons or leave the UK without a nuclear shield. This is because nowhere else in the UK is suitable to house both the submarines and missiles at a realistic cost, he says.
Currently, the naval base at Faslane provides a home for Britain’s four Trident submarines - the UK’s sole nuclear deterrent - while Coulport on Loch Long is home to their warheads and missiles.
SNP policy, come independence, is to remove the weapons from Scottish territory, saying it does not want Scotland to be home to such weapons of mass destruction. SNP figures have asserted that the submarines and the warheads could be housed elsewhere in the UK.
But Walker warns that this is fraught with difficulties. He argues that a newly independent Scotland would face several diplomatic and practical obstacles in getting rid of the weapons and that SNP leaders “know that compromise may be forced on them”.
However, he also says the SNP’s position could help to form an anti-Trident coalition in the UK as a whole if both Labour and the Lib Dems also come out to oppose the vast cost of replacing the weapons system over the next few years. Some senior figures in the military would also “say good riddance” to Trident, he adds.
The clash over nuclear weapons comes with UK ministers having said they are “absolutely committed” to renewing Britain’s four ageing Trident submarines, all based at Faslane, at an estimated cost of around £25 billion. Those plans could be thrown into disarray, however, if Scots were to back independence.
On the issue of sending Trident south of the Border, Walker writes: “Although a harbour might be adapted to function like Faslane, establishing another Coulport – at a location that would meet stringent safety and logistic requirements – would be extremely difficult.
“Furthermore, transfer south would require huge investments to replace infrastructure built in Scotland over decades.”
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Comments
There are 139 comments to this article
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flyinngscott
Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 07:19 PMAnother "expert" drawn out of eddie barnes bag of experts. Who the heck does he think he's fooling? If the Scottish people decide, as part of the SNP manifesto for independence, that the nukes go, then so be it. How this would force the westminster remainder to ditch trident is beyond me. Adapting an english, NI or welsh port, or even building a new one would be spit in the rain ,when compared with the overall cost of the system. The "what about the jobs arguement" really is a joke. When compared to the cost of trident, it costs the taxpayer many times the 1000 jobs. Scotlands share, on a back of fag packet calculation, is about £2million per job over the lifespan of trident. Good value then.
NickW
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 08:18 PMGiven the Scottish hatred of the English it is inconceivable that an Independent Scotland could be trusted with the UK's nuclear deterrent. It is simply not an option.
Galloway gal
Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 01:10 PMLosing 1,000 jobs would be bad. But I suspect many of these jobs are specialist in nature and these people will just relocate where they are needed. The defence of the UK is a joke anyway. Building aircraft carriers with no aircraft for them. Goodness knows what would happen if Argentina decided on another Falklands adventure. I just don't see how waving a dozen nuclear missiles in the air constitutes a good defence policy. Cutting conventional arms just brings their use closer.
Joe M.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 10:25 PMNo Sh*t Sherlock!
PCAH
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 01:56 PMRoll on independent Scotland, especially if it would mean the closure of Faslane and the end of Trident and nuclear deterrence throughout the UK. No one knows how to decommission the old collapsing nuclear submarines, where to do it, where to store or dispose of the waste, what to do with the rotting hulls.
Christian Allard
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 08:43 AMThere is an ideal site for England to birth its nuclear submarines, an ideal place for maintenance of the subs as well as a great storage place for nuclear components. Chemical pyrotechnics for the missiles and conventional warheads can be stored just a few miles away. Welcome to l'ile Longue: http:en.wikipedia.orgwiki%C3%8Ele_Longue In exchange, England could give away to France control of its nuclear power stations, say to Électricité de France, EDF for short.
William Forbes
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 09:22 PMOnly 1,000 jobs? ================================== Well I suppose if Our Dear Leader grabs any photo opportunity for creating Amazon jobs he’ll also stand at the gates of Faslane and hand out the P45’s. ================================================= Only 1,000 highly skilled jobs!
the wallace
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 01:25 PMThe so called loss of thousands of jobs if trident leaves faslane is a lie,there is only 1000 jobs directly linked to the trident program at faslane.
Danielrober2
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 07:25 AMThe Royal Navy and NATO must start to make plans for an alternative to the bases in Scotland. Its not about submarines, its about nuclear technology and high tech skills in the 21st century. Alec.S and SNP backers want nuclear technology out of Scotland, regardless as to the amount of people who lose their jobs and NATOs situation. Alec.S and some, but not all in the SNP simply does not care, as they will not actually be paying the economic price. ......................... Margret Thatcher did shut down the coal mines, steel mills and shipyards in spite of the technological and economic argument. In a repeat of 1980s politics Alec.S and the SNP will turn off all nuclear technology in Scotland and then blame the Royal Navy and NATO for the associated economic damage.
Billy Boy
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 02:25 AMI had the notion to report 126 as being unsuitable, (total rubbish) but then realized that many of the scribes on this site would likely understand it!
George Coutts
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 12:18 AMWell I supose since Ulster lost Ford, probably The War Office and Commander in Chief Cammy will dump the Subs and Trident and the other Nuk Missiles scattered around Alba.there, Well it makes sense, far far away from london again!
ELDee
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 10:02 PM#124, Unfortunately Mr Russell the world has many evil regimes, individual scoundrels, dictators, even those passing themselves off as benign regimes, etc. I have looked at the Swiss model for defence; it is very good, but it is expensive and relies on a small professional set of forces with loads of conscripts, organised into the army system, loads of armoured vehicles and all reservists keep their weapons at home, or at least they did. This is good for a citizens type army, and what is the difference between that and a peasant army? The SDA and your comment are really etherial grasps at straws, and niave. Ideally you would be right and everyone would 'play the game' 'according to the rules of law (or the game or international diplomacy)'', but it does not work that way. Can you imagine a Scottish Naval Contingent at the Straits of Hormuz saying to an Revolutionary Guard Naval Party "we do not do it that way in Scotland?" from a guy on his 'TA' or 'RNVR' reserve training?
ELDee
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 09:41 PM#112, I agree to an extent; if they were that important then the UK government would afford it.
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Danielrober2
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 08:57 PMThere are at least 6 harbours that I know of that could take the submarines in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Maybe if politics allows, the jobs could go to the great submarine base which was used to keep the corridor open from America to free Europe in Northern Ireland.
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