USAF removes aircraft from RAF Mildenhall amid security criticism

US Air Force aircraft were withdrawn from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk on Monday and Tuesday, drawing criticism of UK base security from a former military intelligence officer.

Security criticism

Frank Ledwidge, associate professor in strategy and law at Portsmouth University, said there must have been a "credible threat" to cause the US to remove military planes from RAF Mildenhall. He said: "This is a third example in less than two years of bases being penetrated, or becoming close to being penetrated, by hostile forces. It's embarrassing."

Ledwidge said the aircraft that were moved were "very vulnerable" and "difficult to secure without really intense shifts and changes to the defence profile of the base." He added: "These are very valuable aircraft. They're logistics enablers — they refuel [planes] in the air and enable bombers to go further."

He said the US "will think of this as another example of British failure to secure not only US bases, but of course our own" and that Britain "has got to take the security of our US allies far more seriously."

Government response

Downing Street has recently insisted British airbases were safe and that their security was a "top priority". Speaking in a parliamentary debate on Thursday, defence minister Luke Pollard said the Ministry of Defence had "strengthened protection across the [military] estate, including sites hosting the United States visiting forces".

Pollard said: "Enhanced vigilance remains in place, sites have reviewed their security posture, and additional policing, guarding and specialist support have been deployed where required." He also said: "There have been no further reported breaches since those incidents, but we are not complacent and continue to keep our security posture under review."

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "National security is the first duty of government, and we take the security of our people, sites and local communities extremely seriously." The MoD said it was investing an additional £470m to strengthen security at military sites, including "better physical protection, surveillance and counter-drone capabilities", and that it had "already introduced restricted airspace over 44 critical defence sites."

Why it matters

RAF Mildenhall is home to the 100th Air Refuelling Wing, the only permanent US air refuelling wing in Europe. About 3,000 US personnel are based at RAF Mildenhall, which is mostly used for refuelling and maintenance. The removal follows previous incidents at RAF Fairford and RAF Brize Norton, which Ledwidge cited as evidence of repeated security problems at UK bases hosting US forces.

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Sources

• bbc.com: Security criticised after USAF removes planes from RAF Mildenhall
• cnn.com: Why are there so many security incidents linked to US military in Britain? | CNN

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.