Pentagon Scrambles Tankers From Second British Base, Weeks After Bombers Fled Fairford

The U.S. military moved refueling tankers and other aircraft out of RAF Mildenhall in England on Monday over a reported Iranian threat, the Wall Street Journal reported, weeks after Washington pulled its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford for the same reason.

Two KC-135 tankers diverted to Germany early Monday, and several more left later in the day for Germany and other locations, according to the Journal. Flight-tracking data showed at least eight tankers and three Ospreys leaving, NBC News reported: some KC-135s went to Germany and Spain, one to Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland, and the CV-22B Ospreys to nearby RAF Lakenheath.

A U.S. official told NBC the aircraft were operating under “enhanced force protection measures” and declined to name the threat. Mildenhall and Lakenheath were both raised to Force Protection Condition Charlie, the second-highest alert level, per the Journal, via Reuters. The exact nature of the threat is still under discussion among U.S. officials.

U.S. European Command said aircraft rotate between locations for training and real-world requirements, and that “due to operations security, we will not provide further information on movement of assets.” A British Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the ministry does “not routinely comment on the activity of other nations.”

Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing and its KC-135s, along with RC-135 intelligence aircraft and Ospreys, Stars and Stripes reported. Lakenheath, a few miles away, flies F-15E Strike Eagles and F-35As.

The move follows a security scare at Fairford that has never been fully explained. Five men were detained on Sept. 27 after three suspicious vans were seen heading toward the base, which had supported U.S. strikes on Iran, and two more were later arrested. As we noted, two men were charged in the UK over the incident. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month the activity was likely coordinated in Iran; Tehran denies any involvement. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned in July that any base used to attack Iranian territory is a legitimate target.

About a week ago, European Command launched a theater-wide “See Something, Do Something” campaign urging personnel to vary their commuting routes, switch off fitness-app location tracking and limit what they post on social media, Stars and Stripes reported, without naming a specific threat. It came after warnings of possible Iranian-backed attacks on U.S. bases in Britain. As we noted last week, an Iranian state TV analyst had eyed European military bases as targets.

The evacuation lands while the White House talks up peace. Citing “momentum” in negotiations, President Trump downplayed new strikes on Monday, saying, “Iran militarily is effectively over,” that further attacks “won’t be necessary,” and that Washington remains “locked and loaded.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had addressed reported Iranian threats against American diplomats overseas by “moving people away from the threat,” adding, “we’re going to address it.”

Iran has vowed retaliation if the American-Israeli war against it is renewed and has threatened to widen its response beyond the Middle East, NBC reported.