Tag Archives: oceania

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Daunting nuclear war task new British PM must embark on

Nuclear war is an apocalyptic scenario for any world leader, but the new British prime minister is required to outline the country's response to atomic attack within hours of taking office.

The UK is a nuclear power and one of the first things either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak – the two contenders seeking to replace Boris Johnson – have to do is write what are known as 'letters of last resort'.

Four identical messages are written by the new prime minister to the Royal Navy commanders of Britain's four submarines carrying Trident nuclear ballistic missiles.

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The top secret letters outline what actions the commander should take if there is a nuclear attack and the British government is wiped out.

The documents are one of the most secretive parts of the UK nuclear deterrent programme.

For more than 50 years, one of the four British nuclear submarines has constantly been on patrol.

Their mission, essentially, is to stay at sea for months at a time, the vast majority of it submerged, and be prepared to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike should an adversary launch one of their own against the UK.

Each of the ballistic missile subs can carry 16 Trident missiles. They are able to be shot over a range of 7400km.

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The 'letter of last resort' is locked in a safe aboard the submarine and destroyed, unopened, every time a new prime minister takes office.

It's not known exactly what they say.

Naval expert Matthew Seligmann,of Brunel University in London, told the BBC in 2016 that there are basically four options: do nothing; launch a retaliatory strike; offer your submarine to an ally such as Australia or the US; or use your own judgement.

Professor Seligmann said the submarine commander has to make a judgement that the UK has been hit by a nuclear attack.

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"The commander does that by trying to make contact with the UK via naval command or listening out for radio signals."

If all the checks fail, the commander will open the safe, take out the letter and find out what the orders are.

The contents of the letters are kept highly secret because the Trident nuclear weapon is supposed to be a deterrent.

If a potential enemy knew the orders in advance, it would compromise the deterrence effect, Professor Seligmann said.

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Only one former prime minister has revealed what he would've done in the event of a nuclear attack against the UK.

James Callaghan, who was in power from 1976 to 1979, explained his instructions during a 1988 documentary.

"I've had terrible doubts of course about this. And I say to you that if I had lived after having pressed that button, I would never, never have forgiven myself."

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Aussies stuck overseas for up to a week due to Jetstar cancellations

Thousands of Australians are believed to be stranded overseas due to "engineering requirements" resulting in dozens of Jetstar flights being cancelled.

Tens of flights in and out of Indonesia, Thailand and Japan have been cancelled in recent days, with as many as 4000 Australians believed to be stranded in Bali alone.

Dominic Buick has told 3AW his family have experienced multiple flight cancellations since Wednesday, August 31 and have been unable to leave Bali.

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Jetstar A320

"I've got two young kids that need to get back to school, my wife needs to get back to work, we need to get back home again," he told Neil Mitchell on 3AW.

Buick said Jetstar had booked them flights home on Friday night, but that his family could not risk waiting that long to risk being cancelled on again.

He has resorted to booking a flight home with Virgin airlines at a cost of $900 per ticket.

Buick said Jetstar would not offer him compensation for the delays because he had booked with another airline.

Dawid van Tubbergh was supposed to fly home to Melbourne from Bangkok yesterday but was told on Saturday night that his flight had been cancelled.

The soonest flight that Jetstar have been able to offer him is on Friday night – six days after he was meant to return home.

The airline has offered to compensate him up to around $40 for food and $160 for accommodation each day.

Van Tubbergh has told 9news.com.au he is not too bothered by being delayed in the holiday destination, seeing as he is enjoying paid accommodation and his employer understands he is not at fault.

Meanwhile many other Australians are stuck at home and unable to fly to their destinations.

Melbourne Airport is packed with travellers unsure if they are going on holiday.

Many have taken to social media to complain their annual leave and holiday bookings are going to waste.

"Is our flight from Sydney to Bali on September 7 going to be cancelled, too? Who pays for the bookings we've made in Bali?" one customer has posted on Twitter.

Jetstar has said the delays are a result of "engineering requirements".

"We sincerely apologise for the frustration and inconvenience this disruption has caused our customers," the airline said in a statement to 9News.

"Our teams are looking at every option to get passengers on their way as soon as possible, including seats on Qantas flights and operating ad hoc services where possible.

"A flight credit or refund will also be made available to passengers who no longer wish to travel."