An A&E doctor speaking at the 3 November demonstration outside Lakenheath USAAF air base. Photo Workers.
The campaign against the return of US nuclear weapons to British soil after a 15-year absence is gathering pace. There is growing evidence that the US government intends to use its base at Lakenheath in Suffolk as a major part of NATO’s nuclear weapons infrastructure in Europe. Of course, they will not confirm or deny whether the weapons are already there.
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has pointed out that US budget documents show the base’s weapons storage silos are being upgraded to store the new B61-12 guided nuclear bomb, and new dormitory buildings are being built to house additional military personnel. It is also known that the USA intends to double to fifty-four the number of nuclear-capable F-35 aircraft it has stationed at Lakenheath.
Lakenheath is the largest US Air Force base in Britain and hosts the USAF 48th Fighter Wing – a force tasked to provide “worldwide responsive combat airpower and support”. It took part in bombing Libya in 1986 and launched combat and support missions for the US interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
On 2 November there was a national demonstration outside the base. A coalition of local organisations from Suffolk, Cambridge and Norfolk called the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace is holding regular meetings outside the base and monitoring activity there. It is now planning a two-week peace camp from 14 to 25 April 2025. Then on Saturday 26 April they will host a national demonstration at the base with support from national CND.