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America provided Britain with one nuclear reactor for HMS Dreadnought in the 1960s.. Derived Submarine - New PWR3 (Pressurized Water Reactor 3), propulsion system "based on a US design but using UK reactor technology".. A new form of reactor, using a passive cooling system, was developed for Ohio & Virginia class Trident submarines.

Jesuit priest Stephen Kelly, 62, of Oakland, and Sister Anne Montgomery, 84, of Redwood City, were among a group of five senior peace demonstrators who were sentenced to federal prison in Tacoma, Washington, today. The group were all convicted of conspiracy, trespass, and destruction of government property in December and were facing up to ten years in prison for cutting through fences at Bangor Base on November 2, 2009, to get to an area containing ten Ohio-class submarines. The protesters had put up banners near the bunkers, sprinkled blood on the ground, scattered sunflower seeds, and prayed until they were...

The US secretly agreed to give the Russians sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent to persuade them to sign a key treaty, The Daily Telegraph can disclose. Information about every Trident missile the US supplies to Britain will be given to Russia as part of an arms control deal signed by President Barack Obama next week. Defence analysts claim the agreement risks undermining Britain’s policy of refusing to confirm the exact size of its nuclear arsenal.

Secret files from 70s reveal Trident strike needed 'to kill 10m Russians' Whitehall documents written in 1970s and marked 'personal and top secret' show logic of British Cold War deterrent Rob Edwards guardian.co.uk, Sunday 26 December 2010 21.17 GMT The British government opted for the Trident nuclear weapons system because it estimated it could kill up to 10 million Russians and inflict "unacceptable damage" on the former Soviet Union, according to secret Whitehall documents written in the 1970s. The macabre calculations that underpinned the decision in 1980 to replace Polaris nuclear missiles with Trident have been revealed by a Ministry...

LONDON: The world-famous Gurkha Regiment, part of the British army for almost 200 years, may be among those axed unless the ministry of defence's demands for more money to fund the replacement of Trident nuclear missile submarines are answered. Last night, hopes for extra funding were fading as chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander rejected demands for extra money from Tory defence secretary Liam Fox and insisted the £20 billion cost of replacing Trident had to be met fully by the MoD, The Observer reported. Quoting an expert, the report said the increasing costs of running the regiment following...

A specially upgraded Russian Akula class submarine has been caught trying to record the acoustic signature made by the Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles, according to senior Navy officers. British submariners have also reported that they are experiencing the highest number of "contacts" with Russian submarines since 1987. If the Russians are able to obtain a recording of the unique noise of the boat's propellers it would have serious implications for Britain's nuclear deterrent. Using its sophisticated sonar, the Akula would be able to track Vanguards and potentially sink them before they could launch their Trident D4 missiles....

BRITAIN'S fleet of nuclear submarines could be reduced to save money, but the renewal of the Trident system represented good value for money, said Defence Secretary Liam Fox. Dr Fox said the number of submarines may be cut from four to three if it could be done while maintaining the UK's "continuous at-sea" deterrence, but any decisions on reducing the fleet would not be taken until 2014/15. Nearly three-quarters of opinion formers in Britain think the government should either scrap the country's nuclear weapons or look for a cheaper alternative, according to a poll published yesterday

Cruise missiles are highly accurate but they have to be fired from a distance and they take a fair amount of time to get where they are going. So they are great for fixed targets, but their limitations have left the Pentagon scratching its head for half a decade trying to find something that can be launched and hit its target anywhere in the world within an hour or so. One of the key drivers behind this effort has been to develop a weapon that could kill a terrorist like Osama bin Laden anywhere in the world without having to...

Trident: Is there a cheap alternative? By Caroline Wyatt Defence correspondent, BBC News Welcome to Reality Check. Today I'm asking whether there is a cheaper alternative to the UK's Trident nuclear system. The Liberal Democrat suggestion that Britain could find a "cheaper and better" alternative to Trident is one of the issues dividing the three main parties. It provoked on Thursday with leader Nick Clegg coming under attack from his rivals over plans to include Trident in the strategic defence review, which all three parties have promised to hold after the election. is certainly controversial and expensive - but could...

The United States test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads during a joint military exercise Wednesday with Saudi Arabia, a Western military official said. The Trident missile launch was carried out in the kingdom, the official said, but he would not give a precise location. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The U.S. has been strengthening missile defenses in allied Arab nations in the Gulf to help counter any potential missile strike from Iran. Like its nuclear work, Iran's missile program is of top concern to Washington and Arab nations...

CAIRO – A Western military official says the United States has test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads during a joint military exercise with Saudi Arabia. The official said the Trident missile launch was carried out Wednesday in the kingdom but would not give a precise location. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The U.S. has been strengthening missile defenses in the Gulf to help counter any possible missile strike from Iran.

A Marine is facing disciplinary action after smuggling a woman into the home of Britain's Trident submarine fleet in the boot of his car. It is understood that he was caught with the woman as he escorted her out of the high-security base at Faslane. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Marine had been interviewed following "a potential breach of security" at HM Naval Base Clyde on 12 March. A spokesman said the matter was now subject to an internal investigation. "We can confirm a member of the naval service was interviewed by MoD police following a report of...

The U.S. Navy conducted successful test flights Sept. 3 and 4 of two Trident II D5 Fleet Ballistic Missiles (FBMs) built by Lockheed Martin. The Navy launched the unarmed missiles from the submerged submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) in the Atlantic Ocean. The Trident II D5 missile now has achieved 129 consecutive successful test flights since 1989 - a record unmatched by any other large ballistic missile or space launch vehicle. "These successful missile tests again demonstrate the readiness and reliability of the entire Trident II D5 Strategic Weapon System," said Melanie A. Sloane, vice president of Fleet Ballistic...

Defense: President Obama dreams of a world without nuclear weapons. Unless testing and maintenance of our nuclear deterrent is resumed, it will be a world without American nuclear weapons.In his Prague speech this spring, the president spoke of "America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons," ignoring the fact that before 1945 we lived in such a world and it was neither peaceful nor secure. We recently observed the anniversaries of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, actions that brought an abrupt end to the carnage of World War II and arguably...

Britain Must Not Sacrifice Trident To Please Obama By Nile Gardiner July 10th, 2009 Currying favour with Obama could leave Britain vulnerable As the Telegraph has reported, President Obama has called for a 30-nation summit in Washington next March to discuss nuclear non-proliferation. This follows a reckless preliminary agreement between Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow to cut America’s nuclear stockpile and delivery systems by up to a third, a deal which is stunningly good for the Russians but hugely damaging for America’s interests. In the wake of the Moscow summit, Gordon Brown has hinted he may include...

David Cameron is right to look beyond Trident Britain can remain a nuclear power without this costly white elephant, says Sean Rayment. By Sean Rayment David Cameron is right to consider the future of Trident programme, which will cost Britain £21billion over the next 20-years. Britain can remain a nuclear power without this costly white elephant. Other alternatives include air and submarine-launched cruise missiles, which, one imagines, would leave a potential adversary thinking twice about launching a nuclear strike against the UK. Just as Labour turned away from CND and stuck with Trident, the Tories should not slavishly follow what...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2009 – Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean last week, sailors aboard the Trident strategic missile submarine USS Maryland prepared to start a series of underwater practice maneuvers known as “angles and dangles.” The USS Maryland’s “Gold” crew executive officer, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Louis J. Springer, takes a look through the vessel’s periscope, Feb. 17, 2009. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Maryland’s captain, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey M. Grimes, and his chief of the boat and senior enlisted leader, Master Chief Petty Officer Michael C. McLauchlan, intently observed the actions...

NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE KING’S BAY, Ga., Feb. 20, 2009 – The U.S. Navy has started the process to find a 21st-century successor to the Trident strategic missile submarine, senior Defense Department officials said here yesterday. Left to right, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter; Navy Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of Naval Operations; and Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, meet with reporters at Naval Submarine Base King’s Bay, Ga., Feb. 19, 2009. The USS Rhode Island, a Trident strategic...

NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE KING’S BAY, Ga., Feb. 19, 2009 – The officers and enlisted members who serve aboard the U.S. Navy’s Trident strategic missile and guided-missile submarines are elite sailors requiring specialized training and skills. Navy Lt. j.g. Walter McDuffie, assistant operations officer assigned to the Trident ballistic-missile submarine USS Maryland’s “Blue” crew, uses a computerized virtual training program to “direct” his surfaced vessel during a training session at the Trident training facility at Naval Submarine Base King’s Bay at St. Mary’s, Ga., Feb. 18, 2009. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

Three retired military commanders are urging the Government to scrap the plan to replace the Trident nuclear deterrent. In a letter published in The Times today, they said that Britain’s independent deterrent has become “virtually irrelevant”, and they call on Gordon Brown to spend the money saved on cancelling the Trident replacement by providing more funds for the Armed Forces to meet their current operational commitments. Field Marshal Lord Bramall, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, General Lord Ramsbotham, a former Adjutant-General, and General Sir Hugh Beach, former Master General of the Ordinance, said: “Should this country ever become...