Airbase project could pave way for UK to host US nuclear weapons
Posted: 30th August 2023
‘Potential surety mission’ at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk thought to refer to return of nuclear weapons after 15 years
Julian Borger in Washington and Dan Sabbagh
Tue 29 Aug 2023 18.19 BSTThe US air force has secured $50m (£39m) funding next year for a project that could pave the way for American nuclear weapons to return to British soil for the first time in more than 15 years.
In justifying the expenditure on a 144-bed dormitory at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, the USAF told Congress the building was intended to “house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission”, which is jargon typically used by the Pentagon to refer to handling of nuclear weapons, according to experts.