331+' The united Kingdom attaches great irnportance to its special ties r^,ith theUnited States, including those developea iuring tne Second World \^Iar, and hassince . then . parti cularly gyngeivea its defence ilans in the context oi a specialrerationship with the united states. Thus, it has concr-uded several agreements onnilitary nuclear co-operation uith the Uniiea sfates. _ - !2/ Baylis, Booth, carnett and lli1lians, Contemporary Strategy, Theorles andPolicies, London, 1975, p, 260. !6/ I'riao Tsetung ' "rmperiarists and All Reactional:ies are paper Tigers,,"Cnrrent Background " I{o. !fl+, 12 }lovember 1958, p, g. 47l PowelJ- , "l\4aoist Mii_itary Doctrine',, Asian Survey, April 1p58.A/35 /392 Eeglish Annex 335. However, co-operation in development of nuclear submarines ' launehers and warheads vas made subiect to significant political conditions' The United Kingdomrs nucl-ear submarines have, in fact' been assigned to the defence of NATO ' a"rrd the United- Kingdon is now operating in the context of the Atlantic a]liancers ?'int ernat iona.l contrlbution to ieterreice"' Nevertheless ' the agreements allow the united Kingdom,s Governnent to d.edicate its rel-evalt forces' cu].].ently assigned' io r,lato, ror s61ely tt.tio""r purposes, if its ''vital nationaf interests" are at stake. 335. It is therefore dlfficult to assess the extent to which the United Kingdora voutd operate lts nuclear force independently ' In theory'' if it chose' it could always inithdraw its forces fTom NATO and declare that it was free to make use of il" io".potr" as it sav fit in any conflict involving its vital interests' fn practice, however, such a possibility is remote ' particularly sinc-e co-ordination' itanning-and the allocatioir of targets to be d'estroyed by United Kingdorn forces in tirae of war all take place in peace-tirne ' It ls hard to see which political considerationscouldjustifyanautononoususeofBritishnuclearforces"orun.ler vhat circlmstances they "ol-tid b" enbroiled in a nucleat conflict wtrich did not involwe the Atlantic alliallce. Still' the fact remains that the United Kingdorn
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the military and defense policies of the United Kingdom, particularly its relationship with the United States and its nuclear capabilities. It seems to be analyzing the extent to which the UK can operate its nuclear forces independently within the framework of its alliance with the US and NATO.

**Category**
Defense, International Relations