Paul Mason, Marc De Vore and James Rogers

Paul Mason is a journalist and author. Marc De Vore is senior lecturer in international relations at St Andrews University. James Rogers is co-director of the Council on Geostrategy

Why Britain must expand its nuclear arsenal

From our UK edition

About once a month, the Royal Air Force scrambles Typhoon fighters for something called a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA). Typically, two Russian nuclear-capable bombers approach Scotland, the RAF aircraft shadow them closely and, at a suitably theatrical moment, the Russians turn away. The episode merits a tiny press release from the Ministry of Defence. Russia is continuously demonstrating its preparedness to cause mass death on the British mainland What most people don’t realise is that the Russian aircraft often open their bomb doors, revealing missiles which may, or may not, contain nuclear warheads; and that they line up on specific targets: city centres, nuclear power stations, airports, or other strategic places.