The US has likely positioned nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time since 2008.
The Times spoke with analysts who said a C-17 transport took off from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, the US Air Force’s main nuclear storage site. They explained the fight “looked like a ‘one-way drop-off’ and meant that it was likely that the UK was hosting US nuclear weapons.”
The US and UK governments did not respond to The Times’ request for comment. The UK has a fleet of F-35 fighter jets capable of dropping US B-61 nuclear gravity bombs.
NATO has a nuclear sharing program where the US stores nuclear weapons in several countries. Germany, Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium all have between 10 and 30 US Nuclear weapons stored at their military bases.
The analyst speaking with The Times said that the US moved between 25 and 30 nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Last year, The Guardian reported viewing Pentagon documents that show the US was building a new facility at Lakenheath to store nuclear weapons. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the report, saying it was part of the ongoing nuclear militarization.
“We see a line towards escalation of tensions, towards militarisation, including nuclear militarization.” He continued, “Our relevant departments are monitoring developments in this area and formulating tasks to ensure our security against the backdrop of what is happening.”
The UK is a nuclear weapons state and has an arsenal of about 225 warheads.
