Britain Increasing Size of Nuclear Arsenal
March 17th, 2021Via: Barrons:
Britain unveiled plans Tuesday to pivot its strategic focus towards Asia, counter Russian threats and bolster its nuclear stockpile, in one of the biggest overhauls of security, defence and foreign policy since the Cold War era.
The conclusions of the government’s so-called Integrated Review, crafted over the past year as London recalibrates its post-Brexit foreign policy, include labelling China a “systemic competitor”.
The document — entitled “Global Britain in a Competitive Age” — identifies Russia as the “most acute direct threat to the UK” which poses “the full spectrum” of dangers.
It also notably announces an increase to Britain’s nuclear arsenal, reversing a previous commitment to reduce the stockpile to 180 warheads by pledging to increase it to 260 by the end of the decade, “in recognition of the evolving security environment”.
