Trident: a case of fast technology, or slow politics?

I’ve dug out notes from December 2006 when the government published its Trident white paper.

The government document, CM 6994, announced that Britain might move to three boats not four – Gordon Brown is now going to tell the UN that WILL happen.

Back in December 2006 MOD sources said it would be “six or seven years” before they would be in a position to know if the technology allowed you to go down to three subs…  so the final decision would be end of 2012 or 2013.

As for the savings, an MOD source said it was truly unknowable but put it at around £1bn.

It’s largely about whether you can devise a reactor that drives the sub that doesn’t need to be taken out halfway through the life of the sub… a sort of Duracell reactor is needed.

Has Gordon Brown received, three years earlier than expected, full satisfaction that this can be done at a ball-park price?

Probably not, but his friends say you shouldn’t underestimate the way gestures like this, incremental, confidence-building steps, help the long-term haul to reducing nuclear weapon stocks which Barack Obama is putting so much effort into trying to kickstart.