Plaid Cymru have been criticised for undermining national security by opposing continued investment in nuclear weapons so to defend the United Kingdom.
The comment came from Janet Finch-Saunders MS following the participation of Liz Saville-Robers MP, Leader of Plaid Cymru in Westminster, in an event held by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament on 16 July. The event saw His Excellency Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo, South African High Commissioner to the UK, highlight how South Africa was the first African nation to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The UK’s nuclear deterrent has three main elements:
• Four Vanguard-class submarines (SSBN), maintaining continuous at sea deterrence (CASD), based at Faslane;
• Trident II D5 missile, deployed aboard the submarine, which is held in a communal pool with the US, situated at the Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia;
• Mk4A nuclear warhead deployed on the Trident II D5, with up to 12 independently targetable warheads per missile.
Commenting on the importance of nuclear weapons for the defence of Wales and the UK, Janet said:
“At a time of increasing global instability, it is totally irresponsible to be campaigning against nuclear weapons and the deterrent they provide to hostile actors.
“Quite rightly, we are modernising our nuclear capability. For example, the Vanguard class submarines are being replaced with a new Dreadnought class from the early 2030s; a programme has commenced to move to a new warhead; the UK is purchasing 12 F-35As, and enhancing NATO’s nuclear mission.
“The Strategic Defence Review confirmed we face new nuclear risks, with other states increasing, modernising and diversifying their nuclear arsenals.
“Maintaining and modernising our nuclear capability is in the best interest of our national security. Campaigning against nuclear deterrence undermines that security, and should Plaid Cymru be successful, place not only this country but all our NATO allies at increased risk from countries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea”.
ENDS
