The US has probably deployed nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time since 2008, signalling to Russian President Vladimir Putin that it remains committed to European security
Bloomberg writes, citing defence analysts and open-source data, that on July 16, a US military aircraft flew with its transponder on – making its identification and location publicly visible – from the US nuclear weapons compound at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to an air base in the British town of Lakenheath.
According to the publication, the C-17 flight involved the US Air Force transporting nuclear weapons, and it did not fly over the territory of any other country.
US Department of Defence budget documents show that millions of dollars worth of work has been going on for years at Lakenheath on “safeguards” facilities, a term the Pentagon uses to describe the security of nuclear weapons.
The weapon the plane likely delivered was a new B61-12 thermonuclear bomb, increasing the number of USA tactical nuclear weapons in Europe for the first time since the Cold War, Bloomberg writes.
US President Donald Trump has stepped up his approach to Putin in recent weeks.
This week, the Ministry of Defence said in an updated policy document that “NATO’s nuclear deterrent also relies on US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, as well as supporting capabilities and infrastructure provided by allies”. According to the document, the new aircraft will be available to fulfil NATO’s nuclear mission.
The US and UK governments have long had a policy of not commenting on the status or location of their nuclear weapons.