Margaret Thatcher on Nuclear Weapons

Margaret Thatcher held an unyielding position regarding the necessity of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, viewing it as the ultimate guarantee of the United Kingdom's defense. She argued forcefully that because nuclear weapons exist and cannot be uninvented, unilateral disarmament would be a reckless gamble exposing the nation to blackmail by potential aggressors. This stance was central to her defense policy, asserting that the deterrent ensured security by making the price of an attack intolerable to any adversary. She maintained that possession of these weapons had successfully kept the peace in Europe for over forty years leading up to the mid-1980s.

The Prime Minister frequently stressed that the British deterrent was a vital element of the Atlantic Alliance's collective defense, but it also served as a defense of last resort should the United States' commitment to European defense be doubted or miscalculated by an aggressor. To remain effective against upgrading Soviet defenses, she championed the modernization of the system, exemplified by the choice of the Trident missile system. Her government actively defended the policy against peace activism, arguing that while arms control was desirable, it could only be contemplated after substantial reductions in the larger arsenals of the superpowers, as Britain's own capability was the minimum required for deterrence.