by Angie Zelter, 13th July 2024
Our Lakenheath Alliance for Peace is a coalition of around 40 groups that are all dedicated to preventing the return of US nuclear weapons to RAF Lakenheath. Despite being called an RAF base, Lakenheath is run by the USAirForce and only hosts US personnel, around 6,000 of them. It is the largest deployment of USAF personnel in the UK. This is why we talk about USAF not RAF Lakenheath.
In 2008, after a tenacious direct action campaign led by local groups, the 110 US nuclear bombs stored at Lakenheath were removed. But now we have found out that they are coming back, unless we can stop them. The US Department of Defense added the UK to the list of their nuclear weapons storage locations in Europe. Their procurement database reveal plans for a “nuclear mission” at Lakenheath, with new equipment and massive building works, which we can already see have started. These include building a ‘surety’ dormitory – to house the anticipated influx of nuclear-related personnel. All of this without any parliamentary debate, scrutiny, or accountability. Our ‘special’ relationship with the USA seems to mean the government just do what they are told without question and without informing the British public, putting us all in danger and especially local people.
The Lakenheath nuclear mission is part of a worrying upgrade of US nuclear infrastructure across Europe. We are now probably nearer to a nuclear exchange, by design or accident, than at any time in the past. US nuclear weapons based at Lakenheath would make the UK once again a forward nuclear base for the US, thereby making us a prime target in the event of a nuclear war.
It is insane to be bringing US nuclear weapons back into the UK and wasting scarce resources on nuclear infrastructure. We should be dismantling all weapons of mass destruction and cooperating with every single nation on this fragile planet to stop runaway climate change and more biodiversity loss. 2023 was the hottest year on record, global greenhouse gases have increased, arctic ice is disappearing and the droughts, floods and other catastrophic ‘extreme’ climate events are impacting the environment, health and food production all over the world.
The jet fighters at Lakenheath are F35-As, and burn 22 gallons of jet fuel per minute,1 when flying in their least fuel-intensive mode. When doing high-powered manoeuvres, they use far more. When in flight, the F35s need to fill their fuel tanks. But, before landing on an aircraft carrier, they have to jettison most of the remaining fuel in the tanks by dumping it in the sea. The F-35s are specifically designed to deliver satellite-guided B61-12 nuclear bombs, or Lockheed Martin ‘wind-corrected’ cluster bombs.2 Both weapon systems are illegal under international humanitarian law.
Militarism is one of the central pillars of the carbon intensive, exploitative, industrial system that is driving the climate crisis. Climate change causes war and war causes climate change. About 6% of global carbon emissions are from military activity. Climate change is already a significant cause of conflicts and is a key factor driving the refugee crisis, both from food shortages and climate induced conflicts. Getting to net zero will require a radical social transformation including ending militarism.
The Pentagon admits that global warming is a national security threat. Yet, the US military is the single largest user of fossil fuels on the planet. The developments at Lakenheath are actively promoting the expansion of the fossil fuel industry, accelerating the nuclear arms race and turning the UK and Europe into a nuclear front line, even more dangerous than the Cold War was.
There has been a massive increase in global nuclear weapons expenditure which has surged by 34% in the past five years, and is now $91.4 billion annually. Five years of nuclear weapons spending could have fed 45 million people for life, who are currently facing famine. These billions of pounds for weapons of mass destruction are a gross abuse of resources that could be used to address the health of our people and planet. Our Lakenheath Alliance for Peace demands that military resources are instead directed towards global peace and justice and the prevention of human caused climate change and biodiversity loss.
We are committed to nonviolent direct action for a peaceful and non-threatening world. Despite all the legislation that the government have put in place to try and stop us protesting in any effective and direct manner, we must remember that it does not alter our rights of freedom of expression and assembly, nor does it prevent us from acting nonviolently to stop preparations for mass destruction. As compassionate and caring world citizens we must act in self-defence to protect ourselves and our planet. Thus I urge all of you to find your strength, love and determination and get involved in actions to disrupt all preparations for mass murder and war crimes.
We also need to be aware of what USAF Lakenheath has been involved in with its so called ‘conventional’ weapons. Planes from Lakenheath have been involved in Libya, Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran. Lakenheath planes regularly do joint exercises with the Israeli and Saudi air forces. It prides itself as being able to “get out the door” and deploy rapidly3. After the Hamas attacks on the 7 October 2023, F-15Es from Lakenheath landed in Jordan on the 13 October to bolster US presence in the region4.
In April, just 3 months ago, Lakenheath was involved in countering the Iranian strike on Israel5. Did you know that the USA and UK are heavily involved in supporting the Israelis military, in its genocidal attacks on Palestinian civilians in Gaza?
We need to be concerned and knowledgeable about the UK backing the USA in their warmongering. Are you aware that the USA has around 800 military bases in 80 countries and has deployed its forces to surround both Russia and China? To put this in context, the UK has 145 military bases in 42 countries, while Russia has only 21 in 9 countries and China 2 in 2 countries.
This may all feel daunting, how can ordinary people like ourselves change anything this big and entrenched? But let us recognise that the peace movement managed to rid us of cruise missiles, turfed the military out of Greenham Common, and managed to keep nuclear weapons out of Lakenheath for almost 20 years. We can do this again! And we can get rid of our own UK weapons of mass destruction. We can join with climate activists and environmentalists and demand the changes we need for a humane and peaceful world. This walk and the following peace camp at Lakenheath is part of a civilian call to sanity and peace.
Please join us.
1 https://cancelf35.substack.com/p/each-f-35-burns-22-gallons-a-minute
2 https://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/wcmd.html
3Lakenheath’s On-Call F-15s Respond to Rapid Demands for Deployments; Air & Space Forces Magazine; 16 September 2019 (https://www.airandspaceforces.com/lakenheaths-on-call-f-15s-respond-to-rapid-demands-for-deployments/)
4F-15s Land in Middle East as Austin Visits Israel and Touts ‘Augmented’ USAF Presence; Air And Space Forces; 13 October 2023 (https://www.airandspaceforces.com/f-15s-middle-east-usaf-hamas-israel-war/) and Twitter( Roughly 24 F-15E Strike Eagles with the 494th Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force stationed at RAF Lakenheath in the U.K. have arrived at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan to Bolster the U.S. Posture and Enhance Air Operations throughout the Middle East.); OSINTdefender; 14 October 2023 (https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1713015922221330505?s=20)
5White House says US troops helped repel Iranian attack on Israel from air, sea and land; Stars and Strike; 14 April 2024 (https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2024-04-14/israel-iran-centcom-13550736.html)