Britain's conventional forces and their budgets have been cut to a point where, in this assessment, the country relies dangerously on the status supplied by nuclear weapons. Rebuilding conventional strength is central to the criticism. Abolishing Trident is rejected because there is little confidence that politicians would reinvest the savings in conventional capability. Under that assumption, disarmament would remove one form of deterrence without restoring the other.
Chapter · 5:48-6:30
Britain's nuclear and conventional deterrence imbalance
The argument warns that cuts to conventional forces have left Britain dangerously reliant on nuclear status, while doubting that disarmament savings would rebuild those forces.