Yoosk today! - Question - You said in your speech to the Conservative Conference that you supported Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. I am aware of no such system - Trident requires the consent of the Americans. It is therefore...

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David Cameron, You said in your speech to the Conservative Conference that you supported Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. I am aware of no such system - Trident requires the consent of the Americans. It is therefore not independent. What is your response to that?
Asked by appiusstuartustacitus on Oct 07 2007 2:49:57 PM and supported by 23 members
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rosssurfin at Oct 09 2007 12:00:00 AM : Actually, the UK requires no consent from the Americans to use it's Trident missiles. "The United Kingdom has purchased the rights to 58 Trident missiles under the Polaris Sales Agreement (modified for Trident) from a jointly maintained "pool." These missiles are fitted with UK-built warheads and are exchanged when requiring maintenance. Under the terms of the agreement the United States does not have any veto on the use of British nuclear weapons" Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Trident_programme#UK_nuclear_policy

appiusstuartustacitus at Oct 09 2007 12:00:00 AM : OK, I stand corrected. But we still depend on them to keep the weapons in working order, so it still isn't truly independent.

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