Amid US President Donald Trump’s warning that another US military strike on Iran could be about five times larger than the previous one, reports claim that the US is evacuating its aircraft from the two UK bases. The development came to light after military watchers witnessed unusual aircraft movements out of RAF Mildenhall.
Though the White House, the Pentagon or the US European Command has yet to comment on this, a report that appeared in the Wall Street Journal said the aircraft were evacuated after a threat from Iran. This comes as the US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford airbase over an alleged Iran-linked security incident. Five men were arrested outside the RAF Fairford airbase in south-west England in September over a security incident.
While two US refuelling tankers were moved to Germany on Monday, several other tankers, which too were using the base, were also moved to Germany and other locations later in the day. The precise nature of the threat to RAF Mildenhall remains under discussion among US officials, it reported.
There are also reports that the US upgraded the security posture at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath to Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie, the second-highest defensive threat level in the US Department of Defence’s security system. This usually occurs when intelligence indicates that a form of terrorist action is likely.
RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath are both major hubs for the U.S. Air Force.
Meanwhile, an official told The War Zone that enhanced force protection measures are in effect across RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families,” he added.
The movement of aircraft happened as Trump deploys more tankers and aircraft to the Middle East, as he considers launching another strike.
Meanwhile, flight tracking data showed that the U.S. Air Force continued to deploy strategic transport and aerial refueling aircraft to CENTCOM's area of responsibility in the Middle East.
A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, bearing tail number 58-0128, departed from the northeastern United States and crossed the Atlantic Ocean toward the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. It then flew over Germany, Austria, Romania and Greece before heading south across the Mediterranean Sea toward its listed destination, Tel Aviv Airport (TLV), near the Israeli coast. Anothert KC-135R Stratotanker departed from RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom, crossed the airspace of Germany, Austria, Romania and Greece before flying across the Mediterranean Sea to Tel Aviv.
