The US has likely stationed nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time since 2008, in a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that it remains committed to European security.On July 16, a US military aircraft flew with its transponder on – making its identification and location publicly visible – from a US nuclear weapons depot at Kirtland air force base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to an airbase in the UK city of Lakenheath, according to defence analysts and open-source data. The C-17 flight involved the US air force’s Prime Nuclear Airlift Force, which transports nuclear weapons, and didn’t fly over any other nation’s territory, according to William Alberque, a Europe-based senior fellow at Pacific Forum. US and UK govts have longstanding policies of not commenting on status or location of their nuclear weapons.The weapons the aircraft most likely delivered were the new B61-12 thermonuclear bombs, increasing the number of US tactical nuclear weapons in Europe for the first time since the Cold War.Alberque said the decision to leave the flight transponders on indicates the US wants to show Russia that it is not reducing its nuclear capability in Europe. “Returning US nuclear weapons to the UK is no small feat.”The move also signals that the US is committing more flexible nuclear capabilities to Europe, creating a wider range of options for its forces, said Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.“Capabilities such as the B61 can contribute to limiting the impact of Russia’s large advantage in theater-level nonstrategic nuclear weapons,” Kaushal said.
