THE FIRTH OF CLYDE, Scotland ¨C With a staccato burst, a horn sounded in the control room of the HMS Vanguard, sending the crew of the nuclear-armed Royal Navy submarine to battle stations. The voice of the commanding officer crackled over the intercom. ¡°Set condition 1SQ,¡± he said, ordering its battery of ballistic missiles to be readied for launch.
It was just a drill, conducted last Monday for a visiting VIP, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But Starmer had reason to pay close attention when he was shown where the submarine¡¯s launch key is stored: The prime minister is the only person in the United Kingdom authorized to order a nuclear strike.
¡°You¡¯re looking for the ideal conditions?¡± Starmer asked softly, as the captain explained how the Vanguard must be maneuvered to the right depth to launch its Trident missiles. Starmer leaned forward in the captain¡¯s chair, the blue glow from a bank of screens reflected in his eyeglasses.
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