US tipped to place nuclear weapons in UK after top defence official toured RAF base

The US government is planning a £39.5million injection into the Suffolk base.

US budget documents said the site was for "surety", jargon used by the Pentagon to describe operations related to nuclear weapons, and would be constructed next year.

Both the US Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defence have refused to comment on whether the Suffolk base will become home to the first American nuclear weapons in the UK for over a decade.

Over 100 warheads were removed from the site in 2008.

Ms Hicks’s visit is the latest indication that the site has major strategic importance to the US Air Force.

The US Air Force is responsible for storing and maintaining the weapons.

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Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said: "While at RAF Lakenheath, deputy secretary toured infrastructure improvements designed to improve base resilience and support for the base’s F-35 squadron and see demonstrations of US capabilities."

It was confirmed as being part of a three-day trip to the UK to meet with British counterparts.

A US budget request earlier this year revealed the Pentagon planned to construct a new 144-bed "surety dormitory" in what is thought to be a high-security bomb-proof bunker for nuclear warheads.

A previous document, published in 2022, referred to a Nato project to build new "secure sites and facilities" to store "special weapons" in countries including the UK.

The warheads were removed at the end of George Bush’s administration as the likelihood of nuclear warfare reduced.

A planning objection by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), argued that the MoD and West Suffolk Council failed to conduct an environmental impact assessment.

The Pentagon declined to offer additional detail on Ms Hicks’ visit.

The MoD has been contacted for comment.