"I think the UK is very close to saying we're the first permanent member of the Security Council to do away with nuclear weapons," General Jack Sheehan [2] told BBC News [3] today. Sheehan, the former Supreme Allied Commander for NATO, commented on suggestions by other retired military figures that the UK rethink its decision to replace the Trident system [4], made up of submarines, missiles and nuclear warheads. "I think it is entirely possible that the British government, for a lot of good reasons, could do it and it would lead the world...All of a sudden you call into question why the French have a system," he said. "It creates an impetus for the U.S. and Russia to kind of move away from this position they're currently in, to start a dialogue to build on." With Ploughshares Fund support, a coalition of British organizations [4], including the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) [5]and Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy [6] has worked to build public and policymaker support for retiring the Trident system.
Links
[1] https://ploughshares.org/file/225
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Sheehan
[3] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7859046.stm
[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7832365.stm
[5] http://www.basicint.org/
[6] http://www.acronym.org.uk/
[7] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7859046.stm