US ‘likely’ relocated nuclear weapons to UK
(MENAFN) The United States has likely redeployed nuclear weapons to the United Kingdom for the first time in over 15 years, in what appears to be a strategic signal to Russia, according to a Bloomberg report citing open-source intelligence and military analysts.
On July 16, a U.S. military transport plane flew from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico—an American site known for housing nuclear arms—to RAF Lakenheath in eastern England, with its transponder active. Experts believe the aircraft was carrying B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, marking what would be the first confirmed U.S. nuclear deployment to the UK since 2008.
William Alberque, a former high-ranking NATO arms control official, suggested the visible flight path was deliberate, serving as a clear message to Moscow. He described the return of U.S. nuclear weapons to British soil as a significant development in NATO’s deterrence posture.
Although neither the U.S. nor the UK has officially acknowledged the deployment or disclosed how many weapons might be involved, analysts see the move as part of a broader strategic shift. NATO's nuclear positioning in Europe has remained mostly unchanged since the Cold War, with tactical nuclear arms stationed in countries like Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Türkiye. Any new deployments closer to Russia would be seen as a notable escalation.
This development follows the UK’s June announcement that it will purchase at least 12 F-35A fighter jets capable of carrying U.S.-made B61-12 bombs. The British government described this as the most significant upgrade to its nuclear posture in a generation.
The report also aligns with prior comments by former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who suggested the alliance may consider forward-deploying more nuclear weapons in response to threats from Russia and China—remarks that the Kremlin criticized as heightening tensions.
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