Latest News
Safer Reactor Design for Royal Navy Nuclear Submarines
Following the leak of a report highlighting nuclear reactor design concerns, the PWR2 type will not be used in new nuclear-powered submarines. It relies on a back-up electricity generator to provide emergency cooling after an accident, however passive cooling mechanisms are safer. The Fukushima nuclear reactors over-heated when the electricity generators were destroyed by the tsunami in Japan, and they subsequently exploded and there was at least one reactor melt-down. Such a scenario would be possible if one of the currently operational nuclear submarines was damaged.
Guardian article 23rd March 2011
Tactical Nukes Pose Greater Threat Says Kissinger
The former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has called for a rethink on tactical nuclear weapons and argued they undermine the doctrine of nuclear deterrence and mutally assured destruction. There is a risk of increased proliferation of this type of nuclear weapon by smaller states and this is a dangerous development.
Left Foot Forward Article 17th March 2011
British Nuclear Submarine Reactors have Flawed Design
A report released under the freedom of information law highlights the concern of senior MoD nuclear safety experts with nuclear reactor designs in current and future submarines. The Royal Navy operates eleven nuclear-powered submarines and is building more Astute class submarines with the same reactor design. Uncertainty over reactor design has delayed the Trident replacement program.
Guardian Article 10th March 2011
US Senate Ratifies START
Senators backed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty voting 71 to 26 in favour. The agreement between Russia and the USA will reduce deployed nuclear warheads by 30% to 1,550, and allows visual inspection of stocks. This vote ended a two year session of Congress and was a success for Democrats pushing through numerous other controversial bills with bipartisan support.
BBC Article 23rd December 2010: START
BBC Article 23rd December 2010: Congress
Guardian Article 23rd December 2010: START
Left Foot Forward Article 6th Jan 2011: START
NATO Summit in Lisbon
At the latest NATO meeting its members agreed to implement a new missile defence system to cover all of its European territories. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was a guest of the summit and expressed interest to include Russia in NATO's missile defence plan. NATO also agreed to hand over control of security in Afghanistan to its own security forces by the end of 2014.
BBC Article 20th November 2010
Open Democracy Article Pre-Conference 6th October 2010
The Strategic Defence and Security Review includes cuts to the Armed Forces and Delays Trident Replacement
Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled the review today which included the axing of Harrier Jump Jets, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and new MRA4 Nimrod spy planes. He said Trident Replacement would continue with 40 warheads instead of 48 warhead per submarine. However the current lifespan of the Vanguard class fleet will be extended and the final decision to replace the submarine fleet delayed until 2016, after the next General Election.
Trident Renewal May Be Delayed to Save Money
The Government may delay a decision on Trident until after the 2015 election potentially saving billions in the short-term but also preventing clashes within the coalition. The final "main gate" decision is due in 2014, when contracts will be signed fully commiting to builiding the new nuclear submarines, this will allow more time to debate the issue, and will allow CND campaigners more time to stop Trident renewal.
BBC Article 16th September 2010
CND Releases Report on Trident and Jobs
"Trident is cash-hungry whilst providing relatively few jobs," so says the press release from CND for the new report on Trident. Given Trident will now be paid for by the MoD budget which must make a 20% cut, then numerous other defence projects are threatened, particularly for new aircraft carriers, armoured vehicles and fighter jets. More jobs will be lost in the UK from these other projects being cancelled if Trident replacement goes ahead. For more information, read the full report here:
Trident, jobs - and the UK economy
Clegg Against Trident Replacement to Balance MoD Budget
The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg again expressed his beliefs today that the UK should not pay to replace Trident as a way of balancing the MoD budget in the face of massive cuts. He was speaking at a Q&A event at the London headquarters of Microsoft, and suggested that the money would be better spent on supporting British troops to fulfill their other duties in Afghanistan.
Guardian Article 16th August 2010
Chancellor Insists Trident is Paid by MoD budget
George Osborne has confirmed that Trident must be paid by the MoD budget and not separately at hoped for by the Defence Secretary Liam Fox. This puts pressure on MoD spending already facing 10-20% cuts, and might put the plan for Trident replacement under further focus.
Royal United Services Institute Urges Trident Policy Change
The Defence and Security think-tank suggested dropping the "continuous-at-sea-deterrence" policy and therefore saving money. Currently the Defence Secretary Liam Fox is battling to have the Trident budget separate from the Defence budget which must make 10-20% cuts. The change in policy would delay the ordering of a new fleet of nuclear submarines and therefore save money.
"Countdown to Zero" Film Released in USA
A new documentary film highlighting the dangers of nuclear weapons has been released this July in the USA and is coming soon to the UK. It was directed by Lucy Walker and produced by Lawrence Bender who also produced "An Inconvenient Truth". Global Zero provided production assistance for the film and it advocates global nuclear disarmament. This undoubtedly will be the biggest budget anti-nuclear weapons film since the bombing of Hiroshima. Watch this space.
Foreign Secretary William Hague Reveals Trident Warhead Numbers
William Hague told the House of Commons that the UK possessed 160 operationally available nuclear warheads and that the total including warheads held in reserve would not exceed 225. This confirms CND figures from recent literature, and compels us to remember that each warhead is eight times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima which killed 200,000 people. Despite the Conservative Party's policy supporting the Trident replacement program we should continue campaigning to prevent this colossal waste of money.
Conservative Coalition with Liberal Democrats - How does this affect Trident and New Nuclear Power Station plans?
The first installment of the agreement between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition does not cover defence spending, but from previous articles in the news this week it seems like the Liberal Democrats will not oppose the decision for Trident replacement, and will support nuclear power stations without subsidies by the tax-payer. This will be a blow for these campaigns given the Liberal Democrats were the only major party opposing these plans by the former Labour Government.
Guardian Article 15th May 2010 Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement
Generals Attack Plans for Trident Replacement
In a letter to the Times newspaper, several Generals offered their support to Nick Clegg calling for the plans for Trident Replacement to be scrapped. Field Marshal Lord Bramall, General Lord Ramsbotham, General Sir Hugh Beach, and Major-General Patrick Cordingley challenged the Ministry of Defence for excluding Trident Replacement from their Strategic Defence Review, arguing that the money would be better spent on other defence needs like equipment for troops. General Sir Hugh Beach recently gave a talk for Global Zero at Lancaster University outlining the case for canceling Trident, and a video of this lecture is online.
Letter to Times from Generals 21st April 2010
Barack Obama hosts Nuclear Security Summit
The US President successfully convinced delegate nations to an agreement that aims to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years. Discussions also focused on Iran's nuclear programme with increased efforts to bring China into line with the US intent to stop them acquiring nuclear weapons.
Obama and Medvedev Sign New START Treaty
Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed a new nuclear arms treaty in Prague which agreed to a 30% reduction of nuclear warheads to 1,550. This progress is welcomed, although the concern is that it must be ratified by the US Senate with 67% majority, and given Republican Senators are unlikely to see the positives of the agreement, there is a real possibility that it might fail to be ratified.
BBC News Article 8th April 2010
Barack Obama Unveils Nuclear Posture Review
The US President has announced a defence policy that limits the use of nuclear weapons, specifically that will not be used as a response to conventional, biological or chemical weapons or against non-nuclear weapons states. The caveat is countries that do not comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will not be subject to these rules of engagement. This is a significant policy that signals that in the worst-case scenario the US military would be proportionate in any retaliatory response, so reducing the threat of nuclear war. However, the caveat is targeted at North Korea and Iran, and will be used to persuade them to sign up and ratify the NPT. The speech by Hilary Clinton indicates that there is no paradigm shift in their interpretation of security and the need for a nuclear deterrence.
Guardian Article 6th April 2010
Barack Obama Announces Nuclear Weapons Cuts
The USA and Russia have agreed the wording of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to replace the one that expired in December 2009. The USA will cut its operational nuclear weapons from 2,200 to 1,550 and halve its total numbers of launchers to 800. Disagreement over US Missile Defence has been resolved in the preamble to the treaty, and it will be signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev 8th April in Prague. However, the treaty must be ratified by the US Senate and Russian Duma, perhaps a problem for its implementation, although CND remain optimistic by this break-through in negotiations.
Guardian Article 26th March 2010
France and Britain consider Combining Nuclear Submarine Patrols
France has offered to combine with Britain in maintaining continuous nuclear submarine patrols. This would fit Gordon Brown's argument for reducing the number of nuclear submarines from 4 to 3 if the new Trident submarines are built, and would give them greater flexibility in providing the so-called "nuclear deterrent". However, despite these changes, it still brings into question the main argument politicians are using for the Trident replacement, which is of maintaining an "independent nuclear deterrent", and does not explain who they think is a threat to our security to justify its existence.
Guardian Article 19th March 2010
Barack Obama will Cut European Tactical Nukes
The US President announced plans to reduce the nuclear weapons stockpile and abandon plans to design new "bunker buster" nuclear weapons. In particular tactical nuclear weapons stored in US bases in Europe will be cut, however these are already functionally redundant given intercontinental ballistic missile technology.
Five NATO States to Consider Nuclear Arms Removal from Europe
Germany, Holland, Norway, Belgium and Luxembourg are planning to call for the removal of nuclear weapons from their territories in the near future to help precipitate multilateral disarmament. There are about 150-240 tactical nuclear weapons at US bases in Europe, they are militarily redundant and their removal although not strategically significant would be symbolic of a shift in global attitude towards nuclear weapons as promoted by Barack Obama calling for a "nuclear weapons free World" last year.
Guardian Article 22nd February 2010
First Meeting of Heysham Anti-Nuclear Alliance (HANA)
A group of like-minded Lancaster residents and activists met for the first time on Monday 15th February 2010 to discuss the proposal to build a new nuclear power station at Heysham.
Iraq Contaminated with Radiation and Dioxins
A recent study by the Iraqi Government have confirmed the contamination of more than 40 sites around the country with radioactive material and a mix of toxic compounds including dioxins. This coincides with an increase in birth defects around the country, an horrific legacy from two wars and the chaos of occupation.
Guardian Article 22nd January 2010
£2.5 Million Warplane Monument For Preston M6
A plan to build a monument of a warplane on Junction 31a of the M6 outside Preston is being discussed as a legacy project for the city's Guild in 2012. BAE systems is one of the stakeholders supporting this idea, and will promote Preston as a city that supports the weapons industry. Lancaster District CND condemns this project and would like to encourage local residents to write to their councillors and MPs to prevent this development taking place.
Lancashire Evening Post Article 18th January 2010
Putin Attacks US Missile Defence
Vladimir Putin claimed that plans for a US Missile Defence shield are delaying negotiations on a new nuclear disarmament treaty. Although the START1 Treaty expired on December 5th, Russia and the USA have not reached an agreement for further cuts in the nuclear weapons stockpiles. The US has already scrapped plans for a missile defence shield in Central Europe, but instead plans a sea-based system. This nuclear defence gap is threatening an agreement that would lead to significant cuts in warheads. Although Russian discontent is worrying, signs are that an agreement will be reached in the near future.
BBC Article about Criticism of US Missile Defence 29th December 2009
This article contains an interesting bar chart showing the rise and fall of nuclear warhead numbers over the last 50 years.
US and Russia Negotiating Nuclear Arms Treaty
Talks between Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev looked promising for reducing the numbers of nuclear weapons that both countries possess. However a subsequent announcement was not made of success, so presumably negotiations are on-going.
Guardian Article Nuclear Arms Treaty Negotiations 15th December 2009
Heysham Anti-Nuclear Alliance Founded
A new organization has recently formed to prevent the construction of new nuclear reactors in Lancashire and Cumbria. The organization is called "Heysham Anti-Nuclear Alliance (HANA)" and is looking to build support from local residents who are opposed to these developments. For more information please visit:
Next-Generation British Nuclear Submarine on Trial
The submarine "HMS Astute" was recently launched from Barrow-In-Furness for sea trials. Given the current recession, more cuts would be welcome in Ministry of Defence spending by LDCND to such nuclear programs. It is important to remember, in the last 50 years a total of seven nuclear submarines from various navies have sunk in accidents.
BBC article on HMS Astute submarine arrival at Faslane 20th November 2009
Guardian article on submarine at Gare Loch 20th November 2009
Wikipedia article on sunken nuclear submarines
UN Security Council Unanimously Adopts Nuclear Disarmament Resolution
President Obama chaired the session that unanimously approved the resolution that calls for nuclear disarmament. It encourages other states to join and comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). This will hopefully lead to further diplomacy towards Barack Obama's stated goal of a nuclear-free World.
BBC article 24th September 2009
UN Resolution September 2009 PDF File
Gordon Brown Proposes 3 Submarines Not 4
The Prime Minister announced to the UN General Assembly that he is willing to reduce the number of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles from four to only three. This was a political manoeuvre that does not represent a change in British nuclear policy. Each submarine currently carries 48 warheads, and although this might reduce the overall number, this is insignificant given that each warhead has 8 times the explosive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Clearly, we would still retain the capability of killing tens or hundreds of millions of people in a nuclear war.
BBC News Article 23rd September 2009
Barack Obama Cancels European Missile Bases
The US President has taken the decision to cancel the installation of interceptor missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic, a decision that was welcomed by Russia as a positive step for future nuclear weapons reduction talks. However, this does not mean the US missile defence program has been scrapped, but as a political decision it will aid further diplomacy with Russia. This is a welcome step in the right direction, although not as definitive as many peace activists would have hoped.
BBC Article on Cancellation of European Missile Bases
Guardian Article 17th September
Trident Replacement Decision Delayed
The government has delayed the Initial Gate deadline for the replacement of the Trident nuclear submarines. This was the first phase in the process for designing and building new submarines ready to be in service by 2020, estimated to cost £70 billion, and the decision will now be taken after the next election. There are several reasons for this u-turn: in particular the nuclear weapons convention in May 2010; and also the recession is putting all expenditure under the spotlight. This is welcome news for all anti-nuclear weapons campaigners in the UK.
Guardian Article 17th July on Trident Decision Delay
Barack Obama Negotiates Nuclear Weapons Reduction
US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to cuts in the nuclear weapons stockpiles on 6th July 2009. The new treaty will replace the START I treaty from 1991 that expires this year, and has set new limits on the numbers of warheads and delivery systems both countries can possess. The agreement does not reduce nuclear weapons significantly, but is a small step in the right direction.
BBC Article on Nuclear Arms Reduction
Guardian Article 6th July 2009
Guardian Commentary on Nuclear Arms Reduction
Nick Clegg MP Speaks out Against Trident Replacement
The Liberal Democrat Party leader, Nick Clegg, spoke out against the cost of Trident Replacement on 16th June. He is the most senior politician to voice his opposition to the project, although he still expressed his belief in a deterrent, and suggested Britain should consider cheaper alternatives. For the full story:
BBC Article on Nick Clegg MP Trident Statement
International Outrage at North Korea's Nuclear Test
North Korea conducted a second nuclear test and several rocket launches on Monday 25th May. The international community condemned the test which was estimated to be made by a 10-20 kiloton bomb. For more information please read:
BBC Article on North Korea Nuclear Test 2009
Radioactive Waste Leaks from Nuclear Submarines
The nuclear submarine fleet based in Faslane in Scotland has contaminated the Firth of Clyde several times in as many years with radioactive waste discharges, as revealed by a confidential government report published under the Freedom of Information Act. Additional radioactive leaks have now been reported including two at Devonport, bringing the total to nine incidents in the past 12 years. This highlights the negligence of the MoD in its management of radioactive waste from its submarines, and provides additional persuasive evidence that Trident replacement is not the right decision for the future of the UK.
Guardian Article on Radioactive Waste Leaks from 27th April 2009
Guardian Article on Radioactive Waste Leaks from 18th May 2009
Barack Obama Supports Nuclear Free World
President Obama gave a speech on Sunday 5th April in Prague promoting a nuclear free world as part of his global security agenda. He criticised North Korea for its rocket launch today, and also Iran for its nuclear ambitions. He intends to persuade the US Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), that neither the USA nor China have ratified, and India and Pakistan have not yet signed. President Obama has talked with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about a future arms control treaty. The news indicates a change in attitude to nuclear weapons by the US government, and seems a very promising announcement by the new president.