Nuclear weapons policy of the United Kingdom

E43856

nuclear weapons policy

The nuclear weapons policy of the United Kingdom encompasses the country's strategic doctrine, legal frameworks, and international agreements governing the development, deployment, and potential use of its nuclear arsenal.

Aliases (7)

Statements (56)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	nuclear weapons policy →
airDeliveredNuclearWeapons	false →
allianceFramework	North Atlantic Treaty Organization →
alsoKnownAs	British nuclear weapons policy → UK nuclear weapons policy →
cooperationFramework	1958 US–UK Mutual Defence Agreement →
cooperationPartner	United States →
country	United Kingdom →
declaredPolicy	nuclear weapons used only in defence of NATO allies in extreme circumstances → nuclear weapons used only in extreme circumstances of self-defence →
deliveryPlatform	Dreadnought-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines → Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines →
deliverySystem	Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile system →
disarmamentCommitment	long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons →
domesticLegislation	Armed Forces Act provisions on nuclear operations → Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition and Inspections) Act 1998 →
executiveAuthority	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom →
exportControlRegime	participation in Nuclear Suppliers Group → participation in Zangger Committee →
firstUseOptionRetained	true →
geographicFocus	global strategic deterrence with emphasis on Euro-Atlantic area →
landBasedNuclearWeapons	false →
launchAuthority	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom →
legalFramework	Biological Weapons Convention (non-nuclear WMD context) → Chemical Weapons Convention (non-nuclear WMD context) → Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (signed, not ratified) → Partial Test Ban Treaty → Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons →
missileSupplyArrangements	Trident II D5 missiles leased from the United States →
modernisationProgramme	Dreadnought-class submarine programme → replacement of UK nuclear warhead design →
noFirstUsePolicy	false →
nonProliferationCommitment	prevent spread of nuclear weapons →
NPTStatus	nuclear-weapon state under NPT →
nuclearArsenalStatus	operationally independent → strategically linked to NATO →
nuclearPosture	continuous at-sea deterrent →
nuclearRoleInNATO	contribution to NATO’s overall nuclear deterrent →
nuclearSharingParticipation	false →
oversightBody	UK Parliament →
peacetimeDeployment	submarines on continuous patrol →
policyChange	2010 decision to reduce operationally available warheads → 2021 decision to raise the cap on total nuclear warheads →
policyInstrument	Defence Command Paper → Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy → Strategic Defence and Security Review →
policyOnTNP	opposition to Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons →
primaryObjective	deterrence →
publicJustification	deterrence of nuclear and major strategic threats →
safetyPrinciple	strict control and safety standards for nuclear weapons →
soleNuclearSystem	Trident SLBM system →
strategicDoctrine	minimum credible deterrent →
transparencyPolicy	partial transparency on warhead numbers →
verificationSupport	support for international verification mechanisms →
warheadCapPolicy	numerical cap on total warhead stockpile →
warheadType	thermonuclear warhead →

Referenced by (11)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Mutual Defense Agreement (1958) → Quebec Agreement →	category
Tube Alloys programme ("British nuclear weapons programme") → US–UK MDA ("United Kingdom nuclear weapons programme") →	relatedTo
Nuclear weapons policy of the United Kingdom ("UK nuclear weapons policy") →	alsoKnownAs
Strategic Command ("UK Strategic Nuclear Forces (at integration level)") →	coordinatesWith
Elizabethan era (second Elizabethan age) ("Cold War realignment of the UK") →	hasKeyProcess
Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine ("UK Trident programme") →	nationalProgram
Dreadnought-class submarine ("UK Trident programme") →	nuclearDeterrentSystem
Easter Aldermaston March ("British nuclear weapons programme") →	opposed
HMNB Clyde ("United Kingdom continuous at-sea deterrent") →	strategicRole