The United Kingdom's Nuclear Weapons Program Research Paper

The United Kingdom's Nuclear Weapons Program - Research Paper Example 0s, the research conducted is still relevant today because of its impact on the scientific community, how other states perceive this information and the impact it has on the rest of the world (Ritchie 133). Apart from UK having the perception that its nuclear weapons acted as contributions to NATO, the state also believed that the weapons were a guarantee for both internal and external security (Milne et al. 8). Although the UK participated in the nuclear program, studies show that it is among nations that have moved further towards the establishment of minimal nuclear deterrent (Kristensen & Norris). This has been made possible due to the nation’s plans of reducing the total stockpile to not more than 200 warheads in the next 15 years (Stocker 10). To achieve this, UK has gradually declined in its former role of a super power state, which in turn has resulted to an improved economy due to the reduction of the defense expenditure (Simpson 10). The involvement of UK in nuclear weapons is not a recent incidence because this programmes were still in existence from 1940. Although the UK participated in the nuclear program, the nation is among states that have moved further towards the establishment of minimal nuclear deterrent. This is evident due to UK’s plans in ensuring that the total stockpile is minimized to less than 200 warheads within a period of 15 years. Cirincione, Joseph, Jon B. Wolfsthal, and Miriam Rajkumar. Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats. Washington, D.C: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2005. Internet resource Milne, Tom, Beach, Hugh, Finney, John, Pease, Sebastian & Roblat, Joseph. An End to UK Nuclear Weapons. 2008. Web. 9th April 2014