美国防务新闻3月16日讯

英国当日公布了防务、安全与外交政策评审报告，提出扩大核武库规模，核弹头数量增加至不超过260枚。外国专家认为，尽管英国未来核弹头具体数量存在模糊性，但战略武器规模增加比例达40%以上。而10年前，英国政府曾决定减少核库存，由225枚降低到2025年前后的180枚。报告明确提出，英国外交与防务重点向印太地区转移，主要针对地区经济强国和中国，包括扩大核武库规模，继续推进新一代“无畏”级战列舰发展，重点投资人工智能、航天司令部、网络空间，加大科技力量建设，重塑英国弹性实力，保护英国全球利益，开始介入冲突与稳定行动，确保本土安全的国家弹性能力及对抗国家威胁，建设国防，阻止与威慑等。英国议会公共账户委员会认为，政府目标宏大，但经费“黑洞”更大，预计英国装备发展计划2020-2029年的经费缺口达174亿欧元，而该委员会去年预测2019-2029年的装备经费缺口为130亿欧元。

More nukes and a regional pivot: Britain unveils its long-awaited defense review

By: Andrew Chuter

LONDON — Britain is to substantially increase its stockpile of nuclear warheads in response to a deteriorating security environment, the government said in a long-awaited review of defense, security and foreign policy released March 16.

The move would see Britain increase the inventory to no more than 260 warheads, reversing a decision made a decade ago to cut the maximum from 225 to 180 by the mid-2020s.

Depending on exactly how many warheads the country intends to acquire, it could see the strategic weapons count increase by more than 40 percent.

Britain is deliberately ambiguous about how many nuclear warheads it possesses, but that hasn’t always been the case. In 2015, then-Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced that the reduction would see Vanguard-class submarines carry 40 warheads and no more than eight Trident missiles. One of the Royal Navy’s fleet of four Vanguard subs is always at sea and armed.

The government said its decision in the Integrated Review to raise warhead numbers is justified by developing technological and doctrinal threats.

“Some states are now significantly increasing and diversifying their nuclear arsenals. They are investing in novel nuclear technologies and developing new ‘warfighting’ nuclear systems which they are integrating into their military strategies and doctrines and into their political rhetoric to seek to coerce others,” the review read. “The increase in global competition, challenges to the international order, and proliferation of potentially disruptive technologies all pose a threat to strategic stability.”

Britain is in the early stages of designing a new warhead to eventually arm the four Dreadnought-class submarines destined to replace the Vanguard boats starting early in the next decade. The review said construction of the first Dreadnought-class sub is going according to budget and schedule.

What else did the review say?

The review confirmed the government’s previously cited intention to pivot foreign and defense policy toward the Asia-Pacific region. The “tilt’ toward the region, as the review put it, is Britain’s response to the growing economic power of regional countries and China’s increasing influence on its neighbors and beyond. It’s no coincidence the first deployment of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, is to take place in the region later this year.

Royal Navy Cmdr. Nathan Gray lands his F-35B jet onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 26, 2018, in Portsmouth, England. (Kyle Heller/British Defence Ministry via Getty Images)