Security is being ramped up at US airbases in the UK after five men were arrested near a military site in Gloucestershire on Sunday.
The men are being held on terror charges while police investigate links to Iran, prompting fears that other US bases linked to the country’s war in the Middle East could be the next targets.
Former military personnel have told The i Paper that while security is being increased at the US sites in the UK to counter the threat, other RAF sites controlled by the British are “totally open”.
Security ‘beefed up’ at main US sites
The US has at least 21 military sites across the UK, according to a document published by the Pentagon, which listed the locations of the largest 15 American sites on British soil.
They are mostly in Southern England with one site, Lossiemouth, in the North of Scotland and two sites, Menwith Hill and Fylingdales in the North of England.
The largest US force group in the UK, with more than 6,000 personnel, is stationed at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk.
The site is home to several squadrons of fighter jets, including F-35s and F-15Es, many of which are now believed to be operating out of the Middle East.
RAF Lakenheath was thrust into the spotlight in April when an American plane was shot down in Iran, prompting a dramatic search-and-rescue mission for the pilot. The plane was later identified by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as belonging to a squadron based at RAF Lakenheath.
This led to anti-war protests outside the military site, and security is said to have been increased as a result. The site is also reportedly home to the US nuclear arsenal, which was officially moved elsewhere in 2008 but is rumoured to have been reinstated at RAF Lakenheath last year, leading to further anti-nuclear protests.
Simon Diggins, a retired colonel, said security is being “beefed up” at sites like Lakenheath after the events on Sunday.
RAF Lakenheath is bordered by a nature reserve and a country park (Photo: David Goddard/Getty)He said: “We know that gates and various entrances have been blocked [at Fairford], presumably to stop people from easily getting onto it, so there was some recognition that was going on.”
Diggins added that the fact a member of the public couldn’t initially get through to a Ministry of Defence hotline for the area showed there was a “security gap”, which the US and the UK “will no doubt be looking at and trying to address”.
The ‘obvious’ next target – RAF Mildenhall
Just south of RAF Lakenheath is the smaller RAF Mildenhall, home to around 4,000 US personnel. It has been used for refuelling tankers and logistics support for US aircraft involved in the war in Iran.
Tankers have flown from the Suffolk site to the Mediterranean to meet jets returning from the Middle East, where they refuel them whilst airborne, allowing the jets to return to the conflict zone.
Diggins said Mildenhall would be the “obvious” next target for terrorists looking to attack US airbases in the UK.
The threat level at Lakenheath and Mildenhall is believed to have been raised to Charlie – the second-highest level when intelligence suggests there could be a potential attack.
He suggested there could be extra police patrols in the area surrounding the site, or potentially military patrols under the military aid to civil authorities powers, especially if the local police force does not have the capacity.
Former RAF commanders concerned over ‘fragile’ security
Former military personnel are concerned that Sunday’s foiled plot on RAF Fairford could be repeated at bases operated by the British military, which they say are not well defended.
An ex-RAF wing commander told The i Paper that security on other RAF bases in the North of England is “fragile”.
“We have bases that are totally open where anyone can walk in from any side,” another former wing commander said.
He was also concerned about drone attacks such as those carried out by Ukraine on Russian military bases, which he said would have “catastrophic implications” for the UK.
“About 18 months ago, there was a lot of focus post the Brize Norton incident with protestors getting onto camp,” the source said, referring to pro-Palestine protestors who spray-painted planes at the RAF base last year. “After that, a lot more was done to lock down camps but the infrastructure and geography of most camps makes it an almost impossible task.”
“A lot of these airfields were originally built in the Second World War, they’re built on open countryside,” explained Diggins. “In different circumstances, we’ve had patrols going out into the community. Security cannot just start at the perimeter, it’s got to be wider than that.”
According to one former RAF commanding officer, the main defence to airbases at the moment is “lack of will” to attack from hostile parties, so an Iranian desire to attack poses a “real problem”.
“The parallel I would draw is between the nation and the airfields – neither is properly defended,” he said. “When we are serious about defending something, we put Royal Marines around it such as nuclear sub bases. With the airbases we are using much cheaper people as guards.”
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