Facing Down the Soviet Union: Britain, the Usa, NATO and Nuclear Weapons, 1976-1983

ISBN-13: 9781137440310 / Angielski / Twarda / 2014 / 323 str.

Kristan Stoddart

Opis

Facing Down the Soviet Union reveals for the first time the historic deliberations regarding the Chevaline upgrade to Britain's Polaris force, the decisions to procure the Trident C-4 and then D-5 system from the Americans in 1980 and 1982. It also details the highly controversial decision to base Ground Launched Cruise Missiles in the UK in 1983. Chevaline was one of the most expensive and technically difficult defence projects the British had yet undertaken. It took much of its rationale from intelligence assessments of Soviet anti-ballistic missiles which had planted doubts as to the effectiveness of Polaris as the UK's strategic deterrent. The Polaris-Chevaline system remained in service until it was gradually replaced with Trident in 1994. The first deal over Trident (the C-4 decision in 1980) was informed by the Chevaline experience and the penalties of a lack of commonality with the United States. The decision benefitted from a comprehensive study known as the Duff-Mason Report which was the key background document used by the Conservative government of Mrs Thatcher in the purchase of C-4. The decision to opt for the increased striking power of Trident II D-5 was also driven by the penalties of time-limited commonality with the Americans. It remains operational with both the Royal Navy and United States Navy.

Recenzje

"Provide a full account of the debates within the British government about an earlier modernization that resulted in the deployment of US ground-launched cruise missiles to the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Western Europe in the 1980s. ... provide new insights into our understanding of the UK's nuclear history and should be read by those interested in this subject area, in the US-UK relationship, and British defence policy more generally and by those analysing why states retain nuclear capabilities." (Andrew Dorman, International Affairs, Vol. 91 (6), 2015)

'The third volume in Kristan Stoddart's monumental history of British nuclear deterrent policy takes the reader from 1976 to 1983, a key period in the story when nuclear policy became an important domestic political issue. As usual, he handles his wide range of sources with consummate skill and insight.' - Professor Eric Grove, Liverpool Hope University, UK

Spis treści

1. The British Labour Government and the Development of Chevaline, 1976-1979 2. The Callaghan Government and Polaris Replacement 1976-1979: The Duff-Mason Report 3. Britain, the US and NATO LRTNF Modernisation, 1976-1979 4. 'Gone Bananas' – The Conservative Government and Chevaline, 1979-1983 5. Mrs Thatcher and the Trident C-4 Decision 6. Follow-on Negotiations for Trident C-4 7. Mrs Thatcher, MISC 7 and the Trident II D-5 Decision 8. Creating the 'Seamless Robe of Deterrence': Great Britain's Role in NATO's INF Debate Conclusion

O autorze

Kristan Stoddart is a Lecturer in Cyber Security at the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, UK. He is the author of four books and has spoken nationally and internationally on the subject of nuclear weapons and other security issues. He is also Deputy Director of the Centre for Intelligence and International Security Studies.