Originally Posted by RonO
Matter of public record that services chiefs stated categorically to Parliament defense committee that UK has complete independence in targeting & firing Trident. In response to how long could that last without US cooperation, the answer was as long as the UK could maintain the missiles in working order (currently done stateside). IIRC best guess was at least a year.
A WHOLE YEAR! So, ample time to design, build, test, produce and bring into service our own SLBM's and warheads. Not forgetting to built the testing ranges, degaussing facilities, maintenance facilities, etc.
Pathetic.