Renewing Britain’s Independent Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: A Debate

About the event:

As part of the consultation process surrounding the UK Government’s decision, in its December 2006 White Paper, to renew Britain’s independent strategic nuclear deterrent, the Royal United Services Institute hosted a debate discussing key issues relating to the Government’s decision. In the context of the forthcoming Parliamentary discussion and vote, RUSI’s debate addressed the spectrum of issues relevant to the Government’s decision, from analysis of Britain’s position in the future strategic environment, to issues relating to the process of the Government’s decision, to the question of why a decision is being taken now. The emphasis in the event was to generate debate on this critical issue.

RUSI also released its report `The United Kingdom’s Independent Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: Observations on the 2006 White Paper and Questions for the Parliamentary Debate’.

Attenders at the event included Government officials, Members of Parliament, non-governmental organizations, academe, independent analysts and media.

Panelists included:

The Rt. Hon. Des Browne MP
Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom

Michael Codner (Director of Military Sciences, RUSI  who will be releasing RUSI’s report)

Paul Ingram
(Senior Analyst, British-American Security Information Council)

Professor Steven Haines (Professor of Strategy and the Law of Military Operations, Royal Holloway, University of London)