The U.K. has had some serious security issues in recent months, including threats from suspected Iranian sources aimed at American assets in the U.K. On Tuesday, reports surfaced that the U.S. Air Force has moved several tanker aircraft out of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF) Mildenhall base, reportedly over security concerns. There are reports that the move was due to threats from Iran.
The U.S. military moved nine Stratotanker refueling planes from a base in England to facilities in Germany and Spain on Monday, and The Wall Street Journal quoted sources as saying they had been repositioned due to a threat from Iran.
It is unclear whether the threat was imminent or general, the sources told the newspaper.
CBS News Confirmed found public aircraft tracking data showing 10 KC-135 Stratotankers were moved from Royal Air Force Base Mildenhall, in southeast England to other locations. One landed at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland, while four went to Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and one landed at Ramstein Air Base, the headquarters of the U.S. Forces Europe, also in Germany.
Four more Stratotankers left Mildenhall and arrived Monday at Morón Air Base in southern Spain.
The tankers, positioned in Europe, could play a key role in any future air operations over the Middle East, making them a key logistical asset for American forces in the region.
The U.K.'s Sky News confirmed the move.
The US military has moved several of its aircraft stationed at the UK's RAF Mildenhall airbase yesterday in the late afternoon and evening.
The aircraft included nine Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and three Ospreys, according to flight-tracking data.
This is not the first such threat. We have previously seen USAF B-1 bombers withdrawn from U.K. bases over possible Iranian threats, and there have been arrests made over these threats. It's a very real concern.
An unnamed U.S. official, according to the CBS News report, appears to be downplaying the move.
"We take proactive measures to ensure our aircraft, our people, and our installations remain safe and secure," a U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday, without commenting on specific aircraft movements.
Three U.S. Osprey tiltrotor transport planes also departed RAF Mildenhall and arrived Tuesday at RAF Lakenheath, another base used by the U.S. in England. It is unclear whether all of the movements were linked to the reported threat from Iran.
A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told CBS News that aircraft routinely "rotate between installations and operating locations for a variety of reasons including training and real world requirements."
Given the recent documented threats and even arrests in the U.K. over previous reported threats, the notion of this being just a routine move seems a little unlikely. Furthermore, it seems that any direct action in the U.K. (or Spain, or Germany) that could be directly traced back to what's left of the Iranian government could possibly provoke a response from NATO, given that all four nations, the U.S., UK, Spain and Germany are NATO allies.
The U.S. has maintained a military presence in the United Kingdom since World War II, with more or less 11,000 personnel stationed there. RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath are the primary operating bases for American military aircraft operating out of Britain. American forces in the UK operate under a visiting forces agreement dating back to 1952.
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