The US is reported to be planning to spend more than $4 billion to upgrade military bases in the UK, with a heavy focus on nuclear and bomber operations. The US modernization plans were outlined in papers presented at a military engineering conference earlier this year and documents submitted to the US Congress detailing Pentagon expenditure, reported The Guardian. Members of a Pentagon unit responsible for overseeing the construction of military projects, the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, gave the presentation to the conference in March. Their slides said the value of the current “planning, design and construction” projects at the American bases in the UK was $4.2bn, with an additional $1.3bn characterised as in “draft status.”
The largest portion of funding—more than $1.6bn—is due to be spent at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, the largest American base in the UK and home to 6,000 military personnel. The documents, The Guardian says, suggest this expenditure includes new infrastructure to house a nuclear arsenal, which is returning to the base after nearly two decades. Pentagon documents suggest that new facilities, which include reinforced shelters, beefed-up security and accommodation for extra personnel, will be used to store the latest generation of nuclear bombs. Evidence emerged in July 2025 that U.S. B61-12 gravity bombs had been returned to Lakenheath after an absence of nearly two decades.