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US to spend $4 bln to upgrade military bases in UK — media

According to the publication, the largest expenditure, estimated at $1.6 billion, is the modernization of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk

LONDON, June 30. /TASS/. The United States intends to invest $4 billion in modernizing military bases in the UK, The Guardian reported.

The article is based on modernization plans presented earlier this year at a conference of military engineers, as well as documents submitted to the US Congress to justify Pentagon spending. According to the report, the funding will be used to construct new bunkers in Suffolk, reportedly for the storage of nuclear weapons, and to upgrade facilities intended for covert operations. Funds will also be allocated to modernizing RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, which serves as the primary operating base for US heavy bombers in Europe.

According to the publication, the largest expenditure, estimated at $1.6 billion, is the modernization of RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The plans include the construction of new infrastructure to support the return of nuclear weapons to the base after nearly two decades. During the Cold War, The Guardian notes, the United States stored nuclear weapons at RAF Lakenheath that could be rapidly deployed against the Soviet Union if necessary. The arsenal is believed to have been removed from the base in 2008. The current plans call for the construction of more robust bunkers and additional facilities to accommodate personnel, as well as enhanced security measures.

Another $1.1 billion has been allocated for the modernization of RAF Mildenhall, also in Suffolk.

In total, according to the publication, approximately 12,000 US military personnel are stationed at 15 US facilities across the UK, including about 6,000 at RAF Lakenheath and 4,000 at RAF Mildenhall.

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