Realism is needed on the nuclear threat

The stationing of American nuclear weapons on British soil during the Cold War sparked a protest movement that has lived long in the cultural memory. Many on the Corbynite Left are nostalgic for campaigns in which they posed as “peace” activists naively dedicated to achieving global harmony through unilateral disarmament. Others have a far less rosy recollection of their activities: they were seen as at best delusional, at worst as useful idiots for the Soviets.

US nuclear weapons were removed from the UK in 2008, when tensions between the nuclear powers had cooled to the point where they were deemed surplus to requirements. Now reports suggest that they could be returning. Documents have revealed that the US Air Force has secured funding for a new facility at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The money has been allocated for a dormitory to “house the increase in enlisted personnel as the result of the potential surety mission”. “Surety” is jargon which experts say refers to the storage of nuclear weapons. Today, this paper reports that nuclear-capable American jets will be based in the UK as soon as this year.

It is easy to see why this might be necessary. The nuclear treaties agreed with Russia over the past few decades have effectively fallen apart, with Vladimir Putin suspending his country’s participation in the nuclear arms control pact, the New START treaty, earlier this year. Few are optimistic that Putin will return to it any time soon. 

Russian propagandists have also talked openly about using nuclear weapons, particularly tactical warheads in Ukraine. Is the potential US move a sign that Washington is concerned the Kremlin will follow through on these threats? At the very least, it would remind Putin that any direct attack on the West would result in a devastating response. 

But British and American leaders must be prepared for the debate that will follow. Too many on the Left remain prey to fantasies about how to prevent nuclear war, rejecting the successful doctrine of mutual assured destruction in favour of the misguided assumption that, if we disarmed, the Russians would follow suit. They also hold unjustified and sometimes paranoid suspicions about America’s intentions. They ignore that Britain’s close military relationship with the US is the cornerstone of our national defence. The possible return of American nuclear weapons to Britain may not exactly be a development to celebrate. But it may prove necessary nonetheless.