The United States is reportedly considering stationing nuclear weapons on British territory for the first time since 2008, according to Pentagon budget documents analyzed by a US think-tank and British media. Files also suggest that American fighter jets capable of nuclear bombing raids may be stationed at the same UK air base. In a March funding request to Congress, the US military sought $50 million for a new “surety dormitory” at the Lakenheath Royal Air Force base in Suffolk, north of London.
The term “surety” is often used by the Pentagon to refer to the capability to keep nuclear weapons safe, secure, and under positive control. Although the budget document referred to a NATO project to construct secure sites and facilities to store special weapons in the UK, officials have yet to confirm any new deployments at the base in question. During the Cold War, RAF Lakenheath was one of three sites in Britain to house US nuclear weapons, holding 110 American warheads until a drawdown in 2008. Washington also supplied atomic bombs to UK forces until 1992.
Experts have suggested that the new surety facility is likely to store nuclear arms. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commander of the UK-NATO Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, stated that a surety dormitory is a bunker used to house nuclear missiles and warheads. Construction of the dormitory is set to begin next summer and end in early 2026, according to the documents.
In addition to the potential nuclear deployment, the Pentagon budget request also indicates that the US plans to station two squadrons of F-35 A fighter jets at RAF Lakenheath. These jets are capable of tactical nuclear bombing missions. Unnamed British military sources revealed that 54 F-35s are expected to replace older US F-15s at the base in the coming months.
The prospect of a fresh nuclear deployment in the UK has raised concerns among some critics. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament stated that the move would be “beyond irresponsible.” The campaign’s general secretary, Kate Hudson, expressed that the deployment of new gravity bombs to Europe undermines prospects for global peace and puts Britain at risk in a nuclear conflict between the US/NATO and Russia. She believes that Lakenheath is once again becoming a vital part of Washington’s overseas nuclear strategy.
When asked about the possibility of nuclear weapons returning to the base, Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh stated that it is US policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at any location. The potential deployment of nuclear weapons and fighter jets capable of nuclear bombing raids at RAF Lakenheath marks a significant development in US military presence in the UK and has sparked debates surrounding global peace and security.
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