AWE Aldermaston to be under American control

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament expressed its concern on Thursday 10^th January that Britain's Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston may soon come under majority control of US-corporations. The Government is currently in the process of selling-off the one-third stake in AWE Management Ltd that it owns through BNFL, with two US engineering groups, Fluor Corporation and Jacobs Engineering Group identified as the only remaining bidders.

Responding to the news, as reported in the Financial Times, Kate Hudson, Chair of CND, said, "For anyone that mistakenly supports Britain's possession of a nuclear weapons system on the basis that it is distinct from the US, this news discredits that argument more than ever before. When not only the missiles are leased from the US, but the very warheads may now be put under the control of American companies, the illusion that Trident is an independent system is shakier than ever. Agreeing to spend vast amounts on replacing Britain's nuclear weapons is looking increasingly like a massive cash injection for US corporations, and less and less related to any genuine concern for Britain's security."