Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the UK's post Brexit defence and Foreign affairs strategy today.

Johnson also announced in parliament that Britain will pivot its foreign policy focus towards Asia.

The prime minister, meanwhile, reaffirmed Britain's loyalty to NATO.

Defense Alliance Says It's Committed to Nuclear Disarmament China Britain will remain unswervingly committed to NATO and preserving peace and security in Europe and from this secure basis, we will seek out friends and partners wherever they can be found, building a coalition for openness and innovation and engaging more deeply in the Indo Pacific.

Yeah, all right for more now I'm joined by Oliver Meier from the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy here in Berlin.

It's good to have you on the program.

So what is going on here?

Does the British prime minister does he feel that the U.

K.

Needs to increase its nuclear deterrence?

Yeah, Obviously the United Kingdom is reassessing its nuclear policy.

It has decided to change course.

Just six years ago, the Strategic Defense Review had decided to cut nuclear warhead numbers.

The United Kingdom wanted to go down to 180 nuclear weapons.

Now it's becoming the first Western state to announce that it's increasing nuclear warheads and wants to have up to 260 nuclear weapons.

Does this change this increase?

Does it violate any nuclear nonproliferation treaties or regulations where the United Kingdom has committed under the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty to reuse the number and role of nuclear weapons, like other nuclear weapon states to And, um, it's clearly, at least in letter violating that political commitment.

There is also an obligation to work towards the goal of a nuclear weapons free world that is hard to reconcile with this decision.

It's putting it at odds also with a commitment by NATO to work towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

It's coming at a time when the new US administration under President Joe Biden is taking new steps to reduce nuclear weapons, just extended the new start treaty with Russia.

Russia wants the United Kingdom and France to become of next treaty.

The United States wants China to become a party, and now comes this announcement to increase reliance on nuclear weapons to increase the number of nuclear weapons so clearly sits at odds with international commitments here.

And how do you think the NATO members, the allies of the U.

K.

How are they going to react to this news?

Difficult to say.

It will be a difficult discussion, I would imagine in NATO.

Um, this comes at a time when NATO is embarking on discussions on a new strategic concept.

Arms control will be part of that discussion, and NATO has also committed to not mirror Russian nuclear policies.

Um, and that is difficult to say.

It has always pointed fingers at China and said, Look, China is increasing its nuclear arsenal at similarly no numbers as the UK, But we are not.

We are moving in a different direction, or at least keeping stable.

That argument is going to be harder to make, so it's making it more difficult for Western states to argue that they are the good ones in this game.

And it's really not quite clear what the military and strategic rationale is for increasing warhead and because, frankly, it doesn't make such a big difference whether you have 200 or 216 nuclear weapons.

That's true when it comes to nuclear weapons.

That's a very good point.

Oliver Meier from the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.

Mr.

Mayor, we appreciate your time and your insights tonight.

Thank you.

You're welcome.