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US moves 13 military aircraft from UK base amid Iran-linked threat
The US Air Force has relocated 13 aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England after an emerging security threat reportedly tied to Iran, raising the base to the second-highest alert level.
The US Air Force has moved 13 military aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England following an emerging security threat reportedly originating in Iran. The Wall Street Journal first reported the relocation, and officials confirmed the move on Tuesday. The base has been raised to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the second-highest alert level in the US military's threat system, which signals a likely terrorist threat against personnel or facilities.
Nine KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft were sent to bases in Scotland, Germany and Spain. Three CV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft were moved to nearby RAF Lakenheath, which has hardened shelters capable of protecting aircraft. An official described the moves as precautionary, noting that some of the aircraft were already on rotational deployments and would have been relocated in any case. The specific nature and timing of the Iran-linked threat have not been made public, and officials have not said whether the threat is directed at a particular site.
RAF Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only permanent US tanker wing in Europe, which makes the base central to American aerial refueling operations on the continent. Tankers based there support bombers, fighters and transport aircraft crossing the Atlantic and operating over Europe and the Middle East, so their departure affects the broader reach of US air power in the region. The relocation is the second major movement of US aircraft out of Britain in less than two months.
The earlier move took place in early October, when heavy bombers were pulled from RAF Fairford after British counterterrorism police stopped suspicious vans on September 27. Two men have since been charged under the UK National Security Act in connection with the Fairford case. The Justice Department has also unsealed indictments against three Iranian-backed operatives accused of coordinating terror plots across Europe, one of which reportedly included targeting Fairford. Taken together, the cases point to a sustained effort by Tehran-linked networks to threaten American military assets on British soil, although investigators have not publicly linked the Mildenhall alert to the same network.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US forces are routinely repositioned around the world as operational needs change, framing the latest moves within that normal practice. Downing Street said UK air bases remain secure, and the British and American governments share intelligence on potential threats on a continuing basis. Neither government has announced changes to security arrangements at the bases beyond the alert measures already in place.
Source: foxnews.com
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