The comments come after defense analysts told the Times of London that Trump’s sharp pivot away from Europe, as he tries to end the Ukraine war, called into question the future of the U.K.’s £3 billion-a-year Trident program, which relies heavily on U.S. cooperation to keep running.
Britain has operational control over its Trident nuclear arsenal. But the missiles, loaded on to four nuclear submarines, are U.S. manufactured, and jointly-maintained by the U.K. and U.S. They are subject to periodic refurbishing by the U.S.
It has prompted some experts in London to warn that, as Trump’s administration places curbs on intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pulls back from European security, the U.K. may need to make contingency plans.
Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst, told the Times it was “extremely unlikely” the U.S. would cut off U.K. access to Trident missiles, because such a move would mark a “strategic betrayal on a grand scale that would damage him and America.”
But he warned: “When it comes to support and maintenance, I would say that we are largely dependent on the U.S. for parts and technical assistance. If this was withdrawn, it would also weaken our deterrent.”
He said any refusal by the U.S. to supply Trident missiles in the future would be a “terrifying thought,” and added: “Anyone who suggested this a year ago would have been dismissed as an idiot. Now it is a scenario that we need to plan for.”
