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UK Heads 'the Wrong Way' by Boosting Nuclear Warheads Arsenal, Arms Control Association Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - By increasing the size of its nuclear arsenal without any clear military or strategic basis, the UK under the premiership of Boris Johnson is "heading in the wrong direction" Daryl G. Kimball, the Executive Director of the United States-based Arms Control Association, said on Tuesday.
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"Bottom line: the UK under PM Johnson and [UK Foreign Secretary] @DominicRaab is going in the wrong direction by increasing its emphasis on the number of deployed nuclear weapons without any clear military or strategic justification, violating earlier pledges on disarmament through the NPT", Kimball tweeted.

​On Tuesday, the UK unveiled a new integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy which says that the country would bolster its nuclear weapon stockpile from 180 to 260 warheads in light of the "evolving security environment".

UK Foreign Policy Review: More Nukes, Deterrence of Russia and China, and Stronger Ties With US

As part of its new approach as an independent nation outside the European Union, the post-Brexit United Kingdom also pledged to create a new Counter Terrorism Centre (CTOC) that will bring together government departments, security and intelligence agencies and elements of the judicial system.

The UK government identified Russia as the "most acute threat" to UK security and also vowed to invest in enhancing "Chinafacing" capabilities to respond to the challenges coming from Beijing.

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