You know, this has been France reasonning since 1997 and the end of every nuclear weaponry bar exactly two systems
- M51 SLBMs
- ASMP-A
Everything else - Hades & Pluton, AN-52s tac'nukes, plateau d'Albion IRBMs - is long gone. French land army lost all its nukes.
And ASMP air component only survives because of
- absolute flexibility
- low cost
- a human-pilot-in-the-loop
- high visibility deterrent (more than a sub)
The British only have SLBMs since 1998 and WE.177 retirement.
Sometimes I try to think about SLBM basics: as they stand since Polaris, 60 years ago. I mean: a volley of solid-fuel rockets buried inside (mobile) nuclear submarines hidding in the ocean depths.
Say what you want, but despite USAF 60 years of Minuteman and Peacekeeper basing studies (STRAT-X, WS-120A, Golden Arrow, and later the never-ending nail-bitting Peacekeeper basing debate, 1976-1991) fact is that Earth oceans are the ultimate shield and ultimate hidding place to hide nuclear weapons. Not even the Moon or Earth orbit can beat that. Or the polar caps (iceworm !) or granite mountains, or nuclear aircraft, continuous airborne...