[illliillll]

Somewhere under the sea at this very moment there is a British submarine captain who could nuke Moscow tonight if he (and his crew) wanted to.

There’s absolutely nothing the Americans could do about it.

[t0mpr1c3]

NATO can and probably would shoot them out of the sky using ballistic missile defence. IIRC Britain has a total of 8 missiles.

Britain's obsolete Trident subs are manufactured by Lockheed, so if they fall out with Trump they will lose access to spare parts. The replacements aren't due until 2028.

[mrguyorama]

Are you under some absurd notion that NATO has ballistic missile defense in Russia? Or can magically reach out and intercept a ballistic missile anywhere on the globe?

If there was the right Arleigh Burke right next to the submarine (which there wont be), and the captain was insanely paranoid enough to contravene standing rules of engagement to already be prepared for a surprise ally launching a weapon, there's about a 50% chance they could intercept each missile.

[illliillll]

NATO has no capabilities for doing that, what you are suggesting is very very far from what is actually possible today.

But yes, Britain could lose its nuclear deterrent. That’s not going to matter for any conflict which starts in the near future though.