| Summary: | Approved for public release; distribution unlimited === The British Government announced its intention in July
19 80 to modernize its strategic nuclear deterrent with the
deployment of the Trident I (C4) submarine- launched ballistic
missile. The MIRVed Trident missile will have significantly
increased capabilities of range, pay load and target numbers.
It also represents an enormous expense for the British to
bear and high political and military opportunity-costs for
capabilities which may not be vital to an effective and
credible national strategic deterrent. The political difficulties
likely to be encountered in bringing the Trident
program to fruition may portend the loss of all British
strategic capability, while resulting conventional weapons
reductions may even contribute to lowering the threshold of
aggression in Western Europe and increasing the likelihood of
the threatening circumstances a nuclear deterrent is designed
to avoid. Alternative strategic options, such as Polaris or
Poseidon SLMBs or cruise missiles, should be explored to
achieve the strategic stability and guarantee which the
British seek.
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