The UK Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of deploying its submarines with a nuclear arsenal on US or French military bases in the event of Scotland gaining independence. This was reported on September 1 by the Financial Times newspaper.
According to the sources of the publication, the discussion of plans to move submarines with Trident-type ballistic missiles, which are now based in Scotland, was conducted in the recent past.
As a result, three options for action were developed. The first involves placing submarines in another British port. However, back in 2014, before the first referendum on Scottish independence, the Joint Royal Institute for Security and Defense Research (RUSI) estimated the cost of such a plan at £ 3-4 billion.
The second option involves the deployment of submarines on the territory of one of the allied countries. The American naval base Kings Bay in Georgia or the base of French nuclear submarines on the Ile Long Peninsula near the port city of Brest are called as possible locations for the British nuclear fleet.
The third option, called "nuclear Gibraltar", provides for negotiations with an independent Scotland and granting the Faslane and Coolport naval bases in the region the status of British Overseas territories.
As noted in the article, the Ministry of Defense stated that there are no plans to move the nuclear arsenal from Scotland. However, several senior officials, whose names are not given, expressed to the newspaper the opinion that these plans show how difficult the elections will face the UK government if Scotland gains full independence.
However, Eadaily notes, London is not going to give Edinburgh such a right yet, considering that the Scots have already made their choice seven years ago. At that time, at least 55% of the participants in the independence referendum supported the preservation of the union between Edinburgh and London.
