In Supreme emergency, an ex-Trident submarine captain considers the evolution of UK nuclear deterrence policy and the implications of a previously unacknowledged aversion to military strategies that threaten civilian casualties. Drawing on extensive archival research, the book provides a unique synthesis of the factors affecting British nuclear policy decision-making and draws parallels between government debates about reprisals for First World War zeppelin raids on London, the strategic bombing raids of the Second World War and the evolution of the UK nuclear deterrent. It concludes that among all the technical factors, an aversion to being seen to condone civilian casualties has inhibited government engagement with the public on deterrence strategy since 1915.
Author(s): Andrew Corbett
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 267
City: Manchester
Front Matter
Contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction: an insider’s view
The War Game, a case study
Government, public and total war (1915–40)
Government, public and total war (1940–45)
From the Second World War to continuous at-sea deterrence
The Polaris replacement decision
Ethical considerations and wicked issues
British nuclear deterrence in the 21st century
Conclusion: dirty hands and the supreme emergency
Bibliography
Index
