(FT.com) -- David Cameron is set to announce that Britain will delay replacing the submarines that can launch Britain's independent nuclear deterrent by between three to five years in a move that significantly cuts capital costs of Trident over the next decade.
In an announcement that will be warmly greeted by Mr Cameron's Liberal Democrat coalition partners, the prime minister is to say that there will be a bigger-than-expected delay in replacing the current fleet of Vanguard submarines -- and that the move will not jeopardise round-the-clock deterrence.
However, the move is certain to arouse anger among some Conservative MPs and Ministry of Defence officials, who will fear that a delay of this length will undermine its effectiveness as a deterrent.
Britain is committed to replacing the four submarines that launch the Trident D5 missile at a cost of £20bn, with construction of the boats to begin in 2014. Under existing plans, the UK will see the first boat in the new generation of submarines come into service in 2024. The first submarine will now come into service by 2027 at the earliest. The delay means the UK will be able to defer the financial burden of building the submarine platform until the 2020s.
The Royal Navy has long argued that it will be impossible to delay the replacement of the Vanguards for so long because they are coming to the end of their service life. Critics will argue that a delay of up to five years in replacing them will risk the principle of continuous at sea deterrence -- CASD -- under which a UK submarine carrying Trident must be on patrol at all times.
CNN
