AWE welcomes publication of the Government’s Defence Nuclear Enterprise Command Paper which announces the ‘national endeavour’ to secure the future of the UK’s thriving defence and civil nuclear industry.
The Prime Minister made the announcement today (March 25) saying: “Our nuclear deterrent has been the cornerstone of our national security, protecting our values and way of life, for more than 70 years. It has protected the UK and our Allies from the most extreme acts of aggression and nuclear blackmail from our adversaries. Our deterrent is more relevant now than ever before. We face new and diverse challenges from nuclear-armed states that make deterrence as critical today as it was in the last century.”
He added: “Renewing the UK’s deterrent is a monumental undertaking that safeguards our security and enhances our prosperity. One that requires a truly national endeavour.”
Through the use of nuclear science and technology, AWE supports the delivery of a credible nuclear deterrent and is responsible for the manufacture, maintenance and development of UK sovereign warheads.
In 2023, the UK completed an update of its warhead, transitioning from the Mk4 to the Mk4A by replacing non-nuclear components. The Mk4 warheads are being disassembled and their component elements reused, recycled or safely disposed of.
AWE has commenced work on a sovereign replacement warhead, as part of an evolutionary cycle that ensures the UK has an in-service warhead that can be safely assured from design to disposal.
Read more: Delivering the UK’s National Deterrent as a National Endeavour