LONDON The British saw rare pictures last week when the Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited one of the core submarines in the country.
Nuclear submarines are the cornerstone of Britain’s security.
In a video-like video, Starmer walks on a 150-meter nuclear submarine and meets the crew inside the submarine.
The crew was just returning from the 200 -day scouting round.
– I was able to thank this unique group. In this way, during geopolitical unstable times, their work is more important than ever, the Prime Minister says in the video.
Family members of the crew members are waved by British flags on the harbor on the coast of Scotland. Starmer talks with them in the video fatherly.
A flamboyant video is like a reminder to the world that British nuclear weapons are ready to be launched and that the threat of their use has increased.
Britain has four Vanguard nuclear submarine in the Vanguard core missile. Only the Prime Minister has the right to decide on the launch of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear submarines are located at the royal Clyde Navy Base in Scotland, near Glasgow.
-One of the submarines is always at sea so that the nuclear weapon is ready as soon as Britain or its NATO partners are attacked. If the Prime Minister decides, Britain will trigger a core missile from the submarine, says Marion Messmer.
Messmer is an older researcher in the International Security Program at the Chatham House Research Institute in London and specializes in British nuclear dismissal.
Messmer says with a remote call that Britain’s core fear is the smallest of five of the nuclear states signed by a nuclear barrier, but destructive.
“Britain’s about 260 nuclear papers would be huge if Britain had to respond to the attack against himself or NATO,” Messmer says.
Britain is currently building new submarines. They are expected to use in the next decade. The British AWE also manufactures new nuclear tips. Britain is estimated to have at least 48 Trident missiles.
Britain does not tell the exact number of his nuclear weapons or where they move. Somewhere in the North Atlantic and perhaps near the Baltic Sea, the researcher thinks.
– The submarine has been selected as a launch base because it is almost impossible to trace it. Thus, the enemy cannot attack the British core and prevent Britain from defending himself, Messmer explains.
It would be easier to hit the land bases on land. Messmer recalls that the principle of Britain’s nuclear deterrent is that Britain does not strike first but just respond to the blow.
“Britain would, of course, respond to nuclear weapons but also to other serious damage, for example, with weapons of mass destruction,” he says.
Britain and France are the only nuclear states in Europe. According to Messmer, Britain promises more strongly than France to protect the whole of Europe when needed.
– Britain promises to guarantee the safety of NATO and also Finland with its nuclear fright. French president Macron has also promised a nuclear weapon protection for Europe, but France has not clearly told how. It has not joined NATO’s core planning group, Messmer says.
According to Messmer, Britain is able to use the nuclear weapon independently, but is dependent on the US in the acquisition and maintenance of missiles.
-Trident missiles carried by British nuclear submarines come from the United States. They are sent there for maintenance regularly. If the United States refused to maintain or send missiles, it would not affect immediately, but in the long run yes, Messmer says.
If Britain wants to reduce its addiction from the United States, it would be the cheapest and easiest to customize the system with and buy France, says Messmer. He reminds us that, however, the alliance with anyone cannot be fully trusted.
– Marine Le Penin The party does not want to share French nuclear weapons with Europe, and his party has been very successful in France’s last election, Messmer points out.
If Marine Le Pen or her party fellow became President of France, Britain could be in the same situation as now with the United States, Messmer ponders.
One of the challenges of NATO is not only an external threat, but an increase in popularity of populist parties on the left and right.
“They may consider Russia a lower threat than central parties,” says Messmer.
Thus, even in Europe, the threat is becoming more and more inside. But Britain’s biggest threat is still Russia. According to Messmer, the threat of a nuclear strike has increased because Russia has threatened the nuclear weapon during the Ukrainian War.