US to transfer nukes to UK airbase, tensions with Russia rise
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A report by The Telegraph uncovers several documents indicating the US intent to transfer nukes to UK, marking a first since 2008.
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A picture shows the moment a mushroom cloud formed after the French military detonated a nuclear weapon in a test, at Mururoa atoll, in 1971. (AFP)
The United States is planning to re-station nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008, under the pretext of increasing threat from Russia, Pentagon documents seen by The Telegraph reveal.
According to the UK-based newspaper, procurement contracts for a new facility in the Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Suffolk, about 100 km to the northeast of London, confirm that the US plans on placing nuclear warheads at the facility.
The US had pulled out its nuclear weapons from the UK, in response to what it saw as a "threat" from Moscow decreasing. According to The Telegraph, the nuclear warheads that would potentially be transferred to the UK are three times the size of the Hiroshima bomb that the US dropped on Japan in World War II. It is worth noting that the RAF Lakenheath is currently operated by the US Air Force under British regulations and law.
Unredacted documents confirm nuclear plans
Citing unredacted documents on the US Department of Defense's procurement database, The Telegraph revealed plans for a "nuclear mission" that will take place "imminently" at the British airbase. This would not be the first experience that RAF Lakenheath has had with nuclear weapons, as it had previously hosted several warheads during the Cold War.
In the report, The Telegraph explains that the US is looking to construct a "surety dormitory" at the facility, a term commonly used by the Pentagon to refer to the need to keep nuclear weapons safe.
The Pentagon had refused to comment on these rumors which were first brought up when budget documents cited the term last year, in which the Pentagon requested a "surety dormitory" to house tactical nuclear weapons that could be deployed by F-35 fighter jets. Documents also reveal that the Pentagon had ordered ballistic shields and a housing facility.
Furthermore, the British newspaper says that the UK airbase is expected to house B61-12 gravity bombs, which have a yield of up to 50 kilotons. Bolstering the information disseminated by The Telegraph is a previous US decision to deploy to squadrons of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, which are capable of carrying these bombs.
Citizens should prepare for nuclear war
However, the US-led NATO alliance had recently warned citizens that they should prepare themselves for war with Russia.
The Chair of the NATO Military Committee Lieutenant Admiral Rob Bauer had recently urged all citizens to prepare themselves for war with Russia, saying that they should equip themselves with "water, a radio on batteries, and a flashlight."
In Britain, US Navy Secretary, Carlos Del Toro, urged the country to "reassess" the size of its armed forces, in light of the growing regional tensions, spurred by the West's expanding military support to Ukraine.
More recently, No 10 had defended the British government's military spending, pointing out that the "UK is the second biggest defense spender in NATO and the largest in Europe."
The Telegraph says that the return of US nuclear weapons to the UK comes in line with a NATO-wide program to develop and upgrade nuclear sites, as tensions with Moscow intensify.
Read more: Russia vows measures against US deployment of INF missiles
Moscow warns against nuclear escalation
In a September 5, 2023 press briefing, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed strong concerns over reports suggesting the possibility of Washington redeploying nuclear weapons to British soil after a hiatus of 15 years. Zakharova warned that such a move would be perceived by Russia as a significant step toward escalation.
"If this step is ever made, we will view it as escalation, as a step toward escalation that would take things to a direction that is quite opposite to addressing the pressing issue of pulling all nuclear weapons out of European countries," Zakharova stated.
The Russian diplomat criticized the destabilizing practice, characterizing it as purely anti-Russian. She argued that the reported plans involved joint planning and regular exercises for nuclear attacks on targets in Russia from non-nuclear European countries, further heightening tensions between the nations.
Zakharova emphasized that Moscow would be compelled to take countermeasures to safeguard the security interests of Russia and its allies. Additionally, she pledged increased efforts to demand the return of all US nuclear weapons to American soil, emphasizing the necessity of dismantling the infrastructure that enables the deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe.
Read more: Moscow signals to US readiness for talks to end Ukraine war: Bloomberg
