Statement by the Missile Defence Working Group

The UK government should reject United States plans for a missile defence system

We, the undersigned individuals and organisations, believe that the attempt by the United States to build a missile defence system will lead to increased international instability and provoke a new nuclear arms race.

The US Government is rightly concerned about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but this response can only serve to make the world a more dangerous place. We are alarmed at the likely involvement of facilities at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill in England and call on the British government not to allow the use of these bases in a US missile defence system.

Our concern

Our concerns are threefold:

1. A United States missile defence system would undermine existing arms control agreements and push the abolition of nuclear weapons further beyond reach. Key treaties at risk, on which the future of nuclear disarmament depends, include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the START process.

2. Russia and China have indicated that they would modernise and extend their nuclear arsenals following a decision to build even a limited missile defence system. This could spark a new nuclear arms race that would draw in India and Pakistan and put the world at an increased risk of nuclear conflict.

3. British involvement in the system could increase the profile of the UK as a military target in a missile attack against the United States. It would also compromise the potential role of the British government in facilitating progress towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

We are also alarmed by the likely weaponisation of space as part of US plans for missile defence, the escalating resource commitment involved - now estimated at well in excess of $100 billion - and the possibility that the system would be used as an instrument of unaccountable strategic influence over other countries.

An alternative

US plans for a missile defence system are already straining international relations and threaten to create further division. As the large majority of states agree, future international security depends on creating a multi-polar, nuclear weapons-free world, underpinned by respect for international agreements. Britain is in a pivotal position and could do much towards setting the international agenda on responses to missile proliferation. We therefore call on the British government to reject US plans for a missile defence system and pursue the many alternative means to help ensure future international peace and security.

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