Cost increases in maintaining regulating licenses at BAE Systems' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and Devonport Management Limited's (DML's) facility have led the UK Ministry of Defence to consider the possibility of consolidating its nuclear fuel-handling capabilities at DML. This report assesses where the United Kingdom's nuclear fuelling of submarines should occur to best minimise cost and schedule risks, particularly regarding the Astute submarine programme, which is already under way.

President Obama and the UK Labour and Coalition governments have all backed the renewed momentum for serious progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons, whilst the UK finds itself embarked on a controversial and expensive programme to renew its Trident nuclear weapons system. What does the UK process tell about the prospects for disarmament?

In 2001, RAND helped the United Kingdom_s Ministry of Defence (MOD) evaluate different acquisition strategies that it might use to acquire the new-generation Type 45 destroyer. RAND_s analyses helped in determining whether the MOD should have the Type 45 built by one company or two, whether it should compete the 12 ships in the class or directly allocate work to specific shipbuilders, and whether companies producing the Type 45 should construct the destroyer in its entirety in one shipyard or from blocks produced in several shipyards.

In this White Paper, the Government reaffirms its commitment to maintain Britain's independent nuclear capability by investing in a new generation of ballistic missile-carrying submarines and extending the life of the Trident D5 missile. However, in order to ensure the deterrent system is the minimum necessary to provide effective deterrence, there will be a further 20 per cent reduction in operationally available warheads. The Government believes this decision balances the interests of national security against its undertaking to work towards multilateral disarmament and to counter nuclear proliferation, and it is fully compatible with Britain's international legal obligations. The White Paper discusses the policy context and sets out the reasons why decisions on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent system are needed now, as well as considering the various options and their costs, and the industrial aspects involved in building the new submarines in the UK.