As the war in Ukraine nears two years mark and, despite its difficulties on the ground, Russia appears a growing threat, the US is considering stationing nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in fifteen years, reports The Telegraph.
According to Pentagon documents to which the British newspaper had access, warheads three times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb would be stored at the Royal Air Force base in Lakenheath, Suffolk, which already hosts a squadron of fighter jets. the US Air Force.
The project is part of a NATO program aimed at developing and modernizing nuclear sites in the face of growing tensions with the Kremlin.
Moscow did not fail to react: “In the context of the transition of the United States and NATO towards an openly confrontational path aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, this practice and its development force us to take compensatory countermeasures to reliably protect the security interests of our country and its allies,” thundered Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
The nuclear missiles were withdrawn in 2008
The United States previously placed nuclear missiles at Lakenheath, 80 miles northeast of London, and removed them in 2008 after the Cold War threat from Moscow receded.
Pentagon documents seen by the newspaper reveal purchase contracts for a new facility at the air base, which would accommodate B61-12 gravity bombs on the site, each with a power of 50 kilotons.
“Little boy”, the bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, had a power of 15 kilotons.
Ballistic shields are included in the purchase contracts, as well as housing for American soldiers on the base, construction of which will begin in June.
A UK Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “It is a long-standing policy of the UK and NATO to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons in any given location.”
The Pentagon, for its part, affirmed that the documents were not “a predictive report”.
UK urged to 'reassess' size of armed forces
On both sides of the Atlantic in recent weeks, voices have been raised calling on the United Kingdom to prepare for a possible war between NATO forces and Russia.
General Sir Patrick Sanders, outgoing head of the British army, declared that the 74,000 soldiers of the army must be reinforced by the recruitment of at least 45,000 reservists, ready to face a conflict.
In response, the prime minister's office ruled out any move toward conscription, saying military service would remain voluntary.
And Carlos Del Toro, the US Navy Secretary, urged the UK to “reassess” the size of its armed forces in light of the “threats that exist today”.
Last week, the Transatlantic Alliance announced that it would organize its largest military exercise since Exercise “Reforger” in 1988, while the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West continued.
Operation Steadfast Defender, which is scheduled to begin in February, will feature a Russian attack on allied territory.
Nearly 90,000 soldiers, 50 warships, 80 aircraft and 1,100 combat vehicles are expected to take part.