The Telegraph: Washington plans to deploy nuclear weapons in Britain for the first time in 15 years

The Telegraph revealed that the United States is planning to deploy nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom, for the first time in 15 years, noting that the US planning comes with “the increasing Russian threat”.

This revelation came according to documents belonging to the US Department of Defense, which were seen by The Telegraph.

Purchase contracts for a new facility at the British Royal Air Force base in Lakenheath, Suffolk, confirm that Washington intends to place nuclear warheads at the air base, 3 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

The documents show that the Pentagon has requested new equipment for the base, including ballistic armor designed to protect military personnel from attacks on “high-value assets”.

Construction of a new housing facility for US forces operating at the site is scheduled to begin next June.

The Telegraph also pointed out that Washington announced plans to deploy two squadrons of fifth-generation fighter aircraft, the F35, which has the ability to carry bombs, with the 48th Fighter Wing, at the British Royal Air Force base at Lakenheath base.

According to The Telegraph, the construction of the site could also be subject to a legal challenge by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which says the Ministry of Defense didn’t conduct the required environmental impact assessment before approving the development.

The Telegraph noted that the disclosure comes in the wake of warnings about the need for NATO countries to prepare their citizens for war with Russia.

In this context, The Telegraph reported what the senior NATO military official, Admiral Rob Bauer, said about the necessity of citizens preparing for a comprehensive war with Russia in the next twenty years, which will require a comprehensive change in their lives.

As for the commander of the British Army, General Patrick Sanders, he warned that there might be a need to call the people to fight, if there was a war with Russia, because the army was very small, according to what was reported by The Telegraph.

In the United States, Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro urged Britain to recalibrate the size of its armed forces.

The Telegraph noted that the United States removed nuclear missiles from Britain in 2008, after believing that the Cold War threat from Moscow had diminished.

On the other hand, Russia confirmed that it would view the deployment of US weapons in Britain as an escalation, and would be met with “compensatory countermeasures”.

The return of US weapons to Britain is part of a NATO-level program to develop and modernize nuclear sites, in the wake of growing tensions with Russia following its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

Currently, the United States has warheads stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye, under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements.

In addition to the war in Ukraine, the West faces increasing challenges, especially with the increasing rapprochement between Tehran and Moscow in recent years, in addition to the strong relations between Russia and North Korea.