The key facts
- In September, US bombers were evacuated from RAF Fairford following a report of a drone plot; two men have been charged under the national security law
- This week, all American refuelling aircraft have been withdrawn from RAF Mildenhall due to a new Iranian threat
- Defence minister Luke Pollard said security has been strengthened but declined to comment on talks with the US
Urgent Question in Parliament
British MPs have demanded increased investment in hardened shelters for military aircraft after American bombers were withdrawn from strategic bases. The trigger was an urgent question in parliament on how the government intends to strengthen the defence of airbases, from which American aviation is leaving designated British sites due to threats from Russia and Iran. According to the discussion, only a few bases have what the RAF calls hardened aircraft shelters — concrete-and-steel structures designed to protect against bombing, chemical threats and drone attacks.
Series of Incidents at Bases
Conservative MP John Cooper said that at one of the country's key operating bases, aircraft are parked 'in dense rows' in the open air, calling such a picture 'a dream for a Russian drone operator'. Lossiemouth base, home to four Typhoon fighter squadrons and the entire fleet of nine P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, which are vital for tracking Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, also serves as a regular site for American Poseidons that have become the target of an Iranian campaign. In September, US bombers were evacuated from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after a report of a plot involving drones; two men have been charged under the national security law. This week, all American refuelling aircraft have been withdrawn from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk after a new Iranian threat, and last year activists from Palestine Action broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, causing £7 million ($9.4 million) worth of damage to aircraft.
Government Response and Criticism
Defence minister Luke Pollard said the government takes base security 'very seriously' and acknowledged the growth of disinformation online. He listed an 'evolving spectrum of threats': hostile intelligence, sabotage, espionage, terrorism, organised crime and 'malicious use of drones'. According to him, airbase security has been reviewed, and 'additional policing, security and specialist support have been deployed where required', but he refused to give details, citing intelligence and ongoing operations. Shadow defence secretary Mark Francois asked what discussions had been held with American partners to 'reassure them that our bases are still safe for their aircraft' — Pollard replied that he could not comment on negotiations for operational security reasons. The questions also raised concerns about the safety of American personnel living in towns outside the bases.
Vulnerability Assessment
Military expert Francis Tusa, editor of Defence Eye, told The National that British airbases are 'massively vulnerable' and backed Cooper: in his words, almost all bases lack adequate ground-to-air missile systems, proper radar coverage, an RAF regiment presence and hardened shelters. 'All of them need air defence. None of them have it,' he said, adding that more shelters are needed, Rapid Ranger counter-drone systems, an RAF regiment squadron at every base and significantly more radar coverage. The War on the Rocks platform previously noted that the Pentagon needs to 'comprehensively harden airfields' and carry out a multi-year construction programme both inside the US and beyond its borders. Another Conservative MP remarked that the incidents contribute to a 'ludicrous image' among MAGA movement supporters in the US that Britain has 'become an unsafe country'.
