Renewed concern in official circles about sustaining the credibility of the country’s nuclear force

Posted: 28th March 2021

The UK’s decision to raise the ceiling on its nuclear-warhead stockpile
points to a renewed concern in official circles about sustaining the
credibility of the country’s nuclear force. Nick Childs and Douglas
Barrie examine the implications of this controversial move. Arguably the
most eye-catching and contentious element in the United Kingdom’s
Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy,
published on 16 March, is the plan to reverse course and raise the ceiling
on the UK’s nuclear-warhead stockpile. In tandem with this, the
government will revert to the stance of offering no public acknowledgement
of the number of warheads in the operational stockpile, nor the number of
missiles and warheads that are deployed. Together, both aspects of the
review point to a renewed concern in official circles about sustaining the
credibility of the country’s nuclear force.

IISS 26th March 2021

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2021/03/uk-nuclear-warheads-integrated-review