NATO Enhances Nuclear Posture on Northern Flank Amid Tensions with Russia

NATO's nuclear strike mission infrastructure is undergoing a significant shift northward, with the reactivation of 22 protective aircraft shelters equipped with underground nuclear weapons storage vaults at Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath in the UK. This marks the largest nuclear enhancement of NATO's northern flank since the end of the Cold War. The upgrade, ongoing since 2022, is intended to reactivate a nuclear weapons mission for the US Air Force's 48th Fighter Wing at the base in response to increased tension with Russia.