On Wednesday 24 January 2007 Dr Richard Garwin will lead a discussion on "Nonproliferation and the future of the UK Nuclear Deterrent" from 2-3pm.
Dr Richard L. Garwin is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine. He has received the National Medal of Science and the Enrico Fermi Award, as well as R.V. Jones Award in Scientific Intelligence. For many years he chaired for the President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), the Antisubmarine Warfare Panel, the Naval Warfare Panel, and the Military Aircraft Panel. He served for many years also on the Strategic Military Panel of PSAC. He is a longstanding consultant to the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Sandia National Laboratories and is currently involved with assessments of the U.S. nuclear weapons program. He continues to be active with contributing to and assessing defence technology both independently and as a member of the JASON group of consultants to the U.S. Government.
Dr Garwin, along with Philip E. Coyle, Theodore A. Postol, and Frank von Hippel, has submitted to the Defence Select Committee a paper entitled ‘Comment on: The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent’ (The White Paper presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs; 4 December 2006).
Summary paragraph of submission: ‘In this Comment we explain why we believe it likely that the Vanguard-class submarines can safely and economically be operated for 40-45 years rather than 30. This would not only save funds for other defence needs but would provide valuable flexibility in the decision whether or not to maintain the nuclear deterrent for another 40 years beyond 2035, to build smaller SSN-size strategic submarines for a smaller long-range ballistic missile, or to introduce new technology to the submarine design and build process. We touch also on the question of the submarine industrial infrastructure, the pace of manufacturing, and the skill base for Britain’s nuclear submarines. Finally, we observe that the security of the UK, like that of the US, is more imperiled than supported by the existence of nuclear weapons, and that the elimination of nuclear weapons, or at least of national nuclear weapons, is a possibility.
This meeting will take place in the 4th Floor Meeting Room at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3DX.
Please reply to Kathleen James on Tel: 020 395 9109 or E-mail:
James@iiss.org 
