LONDON, 21 July 2025 — For the first time in over 15 years, U.S. nuclear weapons have reportedly returned to the United Kingdom, marking a seismic shift in NATO’s defense posture as tensions with Russia escalate.
Multiple sources familiar with the deployment confirmed that a shipment of upgraded B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs quietly arrived this week at RAF Lakenheath, a U.S.-operated airbase in Suffolk, England. The weapons are believed to have been flown from the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, according to reports by the UK Defence Journal and The Aviationist. They were secured in a newly completed high-security vault built specifically to handle such munitions, a project signaled in U.S. budget documents since 2022.
For the first time since at least 2005, U.S. nuclear weapons have been deployed onto the territory of the United Kingdom, with sources reporting that several B61-12 Thermonuclear Gravity Bombs were transferred this week from the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) at… pic.twitter.com/AS4QiI4NEx
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 20, 2025
Neither the U.S. Department of Defense nor the UK Ministry of Defence would confirm or deny the move, adhering to the long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity regarding nuclear weapon placements.
Cornerstones of Modernized Deterrence
The B61-12 bomb is considered a cornerstone of NATO’s modernized nuclear deterrent. It is a modernized low-yield tactical nuclear bomb capable of variable explosive power and precision guidance, designed to consolidate and replace older B61 variants. The weapon can be delivered by advanced aircraft like the F-35A Lightning II, which achieved nuclear certification in October 2023, making it the first fifth-generation fighter to be nuclear capable, as reported by Breaking Defense. The 48th Fighter Wing’s 495th and 493rd squadrons based at RAF Lakenheath operate the F-35A.
RAF Lakenheath previously hosted American nuclear bombs throughout the Cold War, with the last reportedly withdrawn in 2008, marking the first time since 1945 that no U.S. nuclear weapons were based in the UK, according to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). Their reported return, however discreet, signals a potential turning point in Europe’s military landscape—one that reflects a growing concern within NATO of open confrontation with Moscow.
Signals of Shift: From Budget to Deployment
Public indications of this shift first emerged in 2022 when U.S. budget documents flagged nuclear readiness infrastructure upgrades at RAF Lakenheath. These documents added the UK to a list of countries receiving upgrades to NATO “special weapons” storage sites, a term often used for nuclear weapons. Subsequent satellite imagery and contracting documents showed ongoing construction work on protective shelters incorporating underground WS3 vaults for nuclear bomb storage and “surety dormitories” for personnel, as detailed in a February 2025 FAS report. The term “surety” refers to the safety and security of nuclear weapons, confirming the nature of the upgrades.
The re-establishment of this nuclear mission is a direct reaction to the worsening political and military relations with Russia, stemming from its invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022, frequent nuclear warnings, and the deployment of increasingly capable conventional weapons, as noted by FAS and analyses from the OSW Centre for Eastern Studies.
Geopolitical Implications and Deterrence Strategy
If confirmed, the deployment would effectively reintroduce tactical nuclear capabilities to the UK amidst an increasingly volatile geopolitical climate. This move further blurs the line between deterrence and potential escalation in NATO’s eastern theatre. NATO’s nuclear deterrence policy, outlined in its 2022 Strategic Concept, states that nuclear weapons are a core component of its overall capabilities for deterrence and defense. The independent strategic nuclear forces of the United Kingdom and France also contribute significantly to the overall security of the Alliance, complicating adversary calculations, as noted by NATO.
The return of these weapons aligns with a broader trend of European rearmament and a re-evaluation of security postures following Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. This includes increasing defense spending across the continent, as seen in France’s accelerated military budget and Germany’s defense shift, both topics covered in our European Defense section. Concerns about the reliability of U.S. extended deterrence amidst shifting political dynamics in Washington have also prompted European powers to bolster their own defense capabilities, as explored in discussions around Europe needing to strengthen its nuclear deterrence amid U.S. uncertainty. This latest development at RAF Lakenheath solidifies the strategic importance of the UK within this evolving European security framework.