LONDON — British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday called for building a multibillion-dollar, new-generation nuclear submarine fleet to counter future threats from "rogue" nuclear states and nuclear terrorism.
The move, which Blair justified as a hedge against potential threats from terrorists and states with nuclear ambitions, such as Iran and North Korea, rekindled debate over Britain's nuclear future and the role of such weapons in the post-Cold War world.
Blair said his government would support a top-to-bottom renewal of the nation's nuclear-powered Trident submarine fleet, which is equipped with nuclear ballistic missiles, to ensure that Britain retains its seat among the world's five major nuclear powers for decades to come.
"The risk of giving up something that has been one of the mainstays of our security since the [Second World] War, and moreover doing so when the one certain thing about our world today is its uncertainty, is not a risk I feel we can responsibly take. Our independent nuclear deterrent is the ultimate insurance," Blair told an occasionally skeptical Parliament, which will vote on the program in March.
"Proliferation remains a real problem," he said. "The notion of unstable, usually deeply repressive and anti-democratic states, in some cases profoundly inimical to our way of life, having a nuclear capability, is a distinct and novel reason for Britain not to give up its capacity to deter."
There have been mounting calls in Britain to dismantle the four-vessel nuclear-weapons fleet that many believe has outlived its purpose. Spending billions on a new fleet could undermine negotiations with North Korea and Iran at a time when those nations are being asked to adhere to international nonproliferation obligations, these critics say.
"How can this cost be justified in the post-Cold War environment, when it will severely restrict much more needed conventional military expenditures, undermine the Nonproliferation Treaty and drain off colossal sums of money from real threats of terrorism, climate change and long-term energy security?" Michael Meacher, a lawmaker from Blair's Labor Party, argued during Monday's opening debate in the House of Commons.
But Blair's proposal can survive misgivings in his own camp because he is assured of substantial support among opposition Conservative lawmakers. Tory leader David Cameron said "the case is very powerful" for building "a credible system ... that isn't vulnerable to preemptive attack," and even questioned Blair's commitment to a 20% reduction in the number of Trident nuclear warheads.
