Trident expensive and immoral, says BYM
‘The cost of one of these missiles is £17m, money that could surely be better spent elsewhere, rather than literally dropped into the sea?’
Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM) has reiterated its concern over the Trident missile system, after reports emerged of another failed test.
The Ministry of Defence admitted that the latest test at the end of January was a failure, following reports in The Sun.
According to the Quakers in Britain website, ‘the failed missile, which cost around £17m, launched from the submarine but “plopped’” straight into the ocean as defence secretary Grant Shapps looked on’.
Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship at BYM, said: ‘For almost seventy years, Quakers have said that “To rely on the possession of nuclear weapons as a deterrent is faithless; to use them is a sin.”
‘But in the light of a second successive failed test of Trident missiles, we also have to ask: are they even a deterrent?
‘The cost of one of these missiles is £17m, money that could surely be better spent elsewhere, rather than literally dropped into the sea?’
BYM said that Trident missiles have experienced successive failures, including the previous test in 2016, with the last successful test occurring in 2012. ‘Annual running costs of Trident are estimated at £3bn for 2023/24. And the failure occurred despite a recent major refit of the Trident submarine HMS Vanguard costing £500m. Between £31-41bn has been earmarked to replace the submarines,’ it said.
