UK Commons Update on Trident SLBM Successor

HMS Vigilant fires an unarmed Trident II ballistic missile photo UK MoD

Aug. 23, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: House of Commons Library; published August 13, 2013)

Update on the Trident Successor Programme - Commons Library Standard Note

The programme to replace the UK’s nuclear deterrent from 2028 onwards continues apace. In December 2012 the Government published its first update report to Parliament on the progress of the Trident renewal programme and in July 2013 published the Trident Alternatives Review. That review was commissioned in 2011 in order to assist the Liberal Democrats in making a case for potential alternatives to the like-for-like replacement of Trident, as stipulated in the 2010 Coalition Agreement.

This note briefly examines the progress that has been made since Initial Gate on the programme was passed in May 2011, including the contracts that have been placed to date and the estimated costs of the replacement programme.

It also looks at wider issues such as the Trident Alternatives Review and the potential impact of the Scottish referendum on independence which is expected in autumn 2014.


Click here for the full report (20 PDF pages) on the UK Parliament website.