Scotland Independence Vote Raises Questions Over Potential Future Home of UK Nukes

摘要

The vote for Scottish independence next week could have significant impacts on the future of the UnitedrnKingdom’s nuclear deterrent as Scottish leaders have vowed to remove the UK’s nuclear warheads andrnsubmarines from the base in Scotland that is their exclusive home should Scots vote for independence. There isrnno immediate alternative base for Britain’s four Vanguard-class nuclear-capable submarines and theirrncomplementary Trident II nuclear missiles, which are currently housed at Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clydernin western Scotland, and a vote for independence could trigger new relocation, negotiation and elimination optionsrnfor the UK nuclear deterrent. Notably, while some experts have suggested that the UK—at leastrntemporarily—could base its deterrent at a U.S. naval base on the East Coast such as Kings Bay, Ga., experts toldrnNS&D Monitor this week that such an option does not appear likely.