Why does Britain decide to increase its nuclear warheads now? The British government has decided to increase its nuclear warheads by about 40%, according to a report on Britain’s strategy on security, defense and foreign policy, which was submitted to parliament on Tuesday. This is the first time in 30 years since the end of the Cold War that Britain has decided to revise its military strategy by increasing its nuclear warheads.
In a more than 100-page report on security strategy, defense and foreign policy, there is a baseline measure that says Britain will increase its nuclear warheads from 180 to 260, about 40% of Britain’s total is available. By deciding to increase the number of nuclear warheads to 260, the British government under Boris Johnson violated Article 6 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Britain pledged in 2010 to reduce the number of nuclear warheads its target to reach 180 by December 2020.
The change in stance of the British government will end the world’s efforts to reduce nuclear weapons since the end of the Cold War 30 years ago. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, interviewed by the BBC, said the increase in nuclear weapons was “like the police needed to provide security to counter an enemy state that wants to threaten Britain.”
The report on the revision of the British military strategy comes as Britain plans to re-establish itself as a superpower after leaving the European Union and is facing growing tensions with Russia and China over the poisoning of Russian agencies in Britain and Hong Kong or Uighur case in Xinjiang. Britain, which is looking for benefits in the Indo-Pacific region, sees cooperation with China as necessary in the fight against climate change.
The British Prime Minister has assessed that those who declare a Cold War with China or isolate the Chinese economy are deeply confused. Once again, the British Prime Minister, a key ally of the United States, has shown that he is always flexible under the circumstances.
