The Hague, Netherlands (AP)-The United Kingdom will buy 12 F-35A fighter of American manufacturing capable of transporting nuclear bombs and will join NATO Shared the airborne nuclear mission, in a major expansion of its nuclear deterrence, Prime Minister Keir Starmer Announced Wednesday.
The government called it “the greatest strengthening of the United Kingdom’s nuclear posture in a generation”.
Starmer made this announcement at a NATO summit in the Netherlands. NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, praised the decision, calling him “yet another solid British contribution to NATO”.
The United Kingdom increased atomic weapons at air in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War. Its nuclear arsenal is now made up of underwater missiles.
Only three members of NATO – the United States, Great Britain and France – are nuclear powers, while seven nations contribute to the nuclear mission of the Alliance by contributing jets which can transport conventional weapons or B61 American bombs or bombs stored in Europe.
The use of nuclear weapons by the United Kingdom as part of the mission would require authorization from the NATO nuclear planning group as well as the American president and the British Prime Minister.
Marion Messmer, the International Security Program of the Chatham House reflection group, said the government had avoided saying whether US nuclear weapons would be based on British soil, a decision that would probably be controversial.
“The United Kingdom has no nuclear weapons itself which could be deployed via this plane,” said Messmer. “Other NATO states which participate in this mission also welcome us nuclear weapons on their territory – these weapons remain entirely under American control.”
Starmer has also announced that the United Kingdom would provide 350 air defense missiles to Ukraine, funded by 70 million pounds ($ 95 million), lifted interest in the Russian assets.
The announcements intervene while the United Kingdom and the other members of NATO engage in Increase security expenditure At 5% of the gross domestic product by 2035. The total includes 3.5% on defense and an additional 1.5% on wider safety and resilience efforts.
The United Kingdom is currently spending 2.3% of national defense income and states that it will reach 2.6% by 2027.
