§ Lord Mayhew asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What is their estimated cost of the proposed air-to-surface nuclear missile system.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (The Earl of Arran)My Lords, we are considering several options for a replacement for the WE177 free-fall bomb, but no decision has been taken.
§ Lord MayhewMy Lords, does the noble Earl agree that whatever system is chosen, it will be very expensive? As the Trident submarine can be made to fire a single missile or even a single warhead with pinpoint accuracy, why do we need to spend large sums of money on a different extra nuclear missile system?
§ The Earl of ArranMy Lords, the noble Lord is right. Trident is certainly a flexible system which is capable of a limited as well as an all-out strike. I make two points: first, any use made of Trident for sub-strategic purposes will lessen our strategic last resort capability. Secondly, even the firing of a small number of missiles will risk giving away a submarine's position and exposing it to the other side's anti-submarine warfare forces. Neither of those consequences is at all desirable.
§ Lord Jenkins of PutneyMy Lords, does the noble Earl agree that the Government would be better employed in spending their time just now in considering the general nuclear position in the world at large rather than extending their own nuclear capacity?
§ The Earl of ArranMy Lords, that is exactly what we are doing. We are considering the world nuclear situation. That is why we are keeping our minimum deterrent force available.
§ Lord MayhewMy Lords, will the noble Earl think again about the two answers that he gave me? His first point was that if we had Trident in the sub-strategic role, we would not simultaneously be able to use it in a strategic destructive role. Is he seriously envisaging a scenario in which we use nuclear weapons in two different roles against two different enemies? That makes no sense at all.
§ The Earl of ArranMy Lords, as the noble Lord knows full well, we live in an extremely uncertain world and we must be prepared for and expect the 1328 worst in some circumstances. Furthermore, a separate system also provides the Prime Minister with a greater range of options in a crisis.