You would have to be living in another galaxy not to know by now that the UK’s latest test-firing of its submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile, the Trident II, has ended in ignominious failure.
In fact it failed almost before it had begun, with the missile flopping into the sea some yards away from the launch submarine HMS Vanguard.
To add insult to injury, both Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and the First Sea Lord were apparently on board at the time.
Making matters worse is the fact that this is the second time in a row that there has been a missile launch failure.
Back in 2016, another Trident missile actually managed to get up into its trajectory but then veered way off course, causing it to be aborted before it did any damage to the unsuspecting.
All of this is highly embarrassing for the Royal Navy, the government, the MoD, and also the US navy which owns the missiles. It also calls into question the whole basis of Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent, our ultimate guarantee of national survival, allegedly, should the balloon go up big style.
If we can’t rely on our nuclear deterrent then it’s not worth the approximately £3 billion per year that we, the taxpayers, pay for it.
Nor are the missiles themselves cheap at £17 million a pop. Is this money well spent when all the UK arms and services are crying out for funds?
We should also be concerned that the government sat on the story for some three weeks after the event. The test was in January. What were they hoping to gain by waiting so long before making a statement? That the story would go away?
Meanwhile various apologists for the UK government, RN, and MoD have pumped out preposterous piffle in a vain attempt to persuade us all that everything is OK.
Take this example from an anonymous blogger with the nom de plume of “Sir Humphrey” writing in his online blog Pinstriped Line.
“There is no need to do so – the system has been proven to work for the goal of the tests. VANGUARD has shown she can fire a missile if needed.
To fire again would cause significant disruption to her patrol cycle, potentially risking longer term CASD capability and would send the message to the wider world that the UK and US had doubts about the credibility of Trident and needed to conduct further reassurance trials.
Paradoxically, more tests would call the sense of our confidence in the deterrence into question in a way not testing does not.”
I mean, really? He’s basically saying there’s nothing to see here, move along now. It’s dangerous stuff.
Lt Col Stuart Crawford is a defence analyst and former army officer. Sign up for his podcasts and newsletters at www.DefenceReview.uk
Lt Col Stuart Crawford’s latest book Tank Commander (Hardback) is available now
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