If the massive drills are a go, they will mark the first time since the end of the Cold War that Britain will test its nuclear capabilities developed under the Trident program alongside conventional forces from other NATO member states.
Trident serves as some sort of midlife crisis virility symbol for the UK — scrap it
— terry christian (@terrychristian) 2 октября 2015
Fallon made the remarks during a summit of NATO defense ministers held at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
The war games will come at a time when some NATO countries have been increasingly critical of Moscow's foreign policy. The alliance has been using deadly civil wars in Ukraine and Syria, sparked by West-sponsored uprisings, to ramp up its military presence close to Russia's borders.
The Trident nuclear deterrence system consists of four Vanguard-class submarines stationed at the Clyde naval base in Scotland, with each carrying a maximum of 16 Trident II missiles. They have not been test fired since 2012.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the government would expand the Trident system by adding four Vanguard-class submarines in the years to come.
As a non-Brit resident of the UK, I can confirm that the puffed-up trident patriot types are a laughing stock abroad. Their time is past.
— WPMcCarthy (@Will8men) 2 октября 2015
According to a report issued in February 2015 by the Henry Jackson Society, Russia has been gathering intelligence on Britain's nuclear capabilities potentially rendering them useless. Specifically, the country is allegedly trying to obtain the information regarding the "acoustic signature" made by the Vanguard-class submarines.
"If Russia were able to obtain a recording of the 'signature,' it would have serious implications for the UK's nuclear deterrent – Russia would be able to track Vanguards and potentially sink them before they could launch their missiles," the document stated.
