UK-French Nuclear Weapon Treaties 2010: 2 SSBNs Collided

Further on my message that the French nuclear deterrent has never been entirely homegrown, is the 2010 UK-French Lancaster House Treaties. These have synonymous/working and overlapping instruments that include the 2010 Downing Street Declaration and 2010 Teutates Treaty.

The nuclear aspects of the treaties were aimed at improving nuclear wepaon management coordination between the UK and France (the only two Western European powers who actually own their nuclear warheads) and to reduce the high costs of nuclear weapon management. 

Most of their operational nuclear warheads are mounted on their 4 SSBNs each, ie. the 4 UK Vanguard-class and 4 French Triomphant-class.

"Lancaster", "Downing" and "Teutates" appear to be used interchangeably due to legal complexities and also to add bureacratic-security-cover over what are sensitive nuclear weapon matters.

A Major Nuclear Accident

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, on February 3-4, 2009, HMS Vanguard SSBN and the French Navy’s Le Triomphant SSBN collided - luckily in slow customary SSBN motion. Both sustained serious damage and limped home under their own power (?).

After this shock and for many other diplomatic and cost reasons the UK and France believed it high time to conclude what became the Lancaster House defence and security cooperation treaties, covering conventional and nuclear weapon matters.

Between the lines the UK and France also concluded SSBN patrol procedures (dividing the Atlantic up into national zones?) to avoid future collisions.

The Treaties

The Lancaster House Treaties of 2010 [actual text] are two treaties between UK and France for defence and security cooperation.^[1][2] They were signed at 10 Downing Street (UK Prime Minister's main office, London, UK) on November 2, 2010 by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.^[3]

Under the 2010 Lancaster Treaties umbrella is the Downing Street Declaration, which covers conventional weapon matters and the nuclear weapon matters that I’m interested in, eg:

• Collaboration on the technology associated with nuclear stockpile stewardship in support of both countries' independent nuclear deterrent capabilities. This included building a new joint facility at Valduc nuclear weapons center in France that modelled performance of nuclear warheads and materials to ensure long-term viability, security and safety. This was supported by a new joint Technology Development Centre at Aldermaston Nuclear Weapons Establishment in the UK.

and

• The two countries began joint development of some of the equipment and technologies for the next generation of nuclear submarines.

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Under the 2010 Lancaster Treaties umbrella in the joint Nuclear Weapons management realm is the Teutates Treaty [actual text] between the UK and France on Joint Radiographic / Hydrodynamics Facilities (Valduc and Aldermaston).

“Teutates” was the Celtic God of War (tribal defensive) in ancient Britain and Gaul (no less). So it is an appropriate name for a nuclear weapons treaty.

After the post 2009 rush to conclude these treaties in 2010 all may have gone swimmingly until the UK Government’s big Brexit blunder impinged on UK-French nuclear weapon management. This will be explored next week.