The United States Air Force withdrew a dozen B-1 bombers from Royal Air Force Fairford in Gloucestershire on Sunday, with U.S. officials citing new security threats. On Monday, the British government stated that the military base is secure.
The redeployment of the bomber squadron to the U.S. was confirmed by the Pentagon on Sunday evening. U.S. officials informed The New York Times that the decision was made after military commanders received new information regarding a potential Iran-backed plot against the base. Aircraft tracking services reported that some of the bombers departed with support from aerial refueling tankers for their flights to the United States.
In response to the withdrawal, the British Prime Minister’s official spokesperson was asked during a scheduled briefing on Monday if RAF Fairford was safe and replied, “yes.” The spokesperson referenced recent comments from Defence Secretary Wes Streeting about the U.K.’s “tried and tested approaches to defend our bases around the country and throughout the world.” The Ministry of Defence and Gloucestershire police did not issue comments regarding any specific threat to local residents.
Speaking on Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said military deployments are a normal occurrence and emphasized cooperation between the two countries. “The U.S. was confident in the security of all its bases,” Rubio stated, adding, “with the Brits, we’ve worked very closely a long time, including on this investigation, and they couldn’t be more cooperative.”
The withdrawal follows a period of heightened security at the base. In July, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had publicly identified the base as a military target.
Recent events in the area include the arrests of five men near the base in late September on suspicion of carrying explosives. According to police, no explosive devices were found, and the men were later released on police bail. A sixth individual, a dual U.K.-Iranian national, was arrested in London on Thursday on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism and was also released on police bail on Saturday.
Following the initial arrests, U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the men’s release, stating, “We know everything about them, we would not have released them.” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated last week that there were “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the incident.
U.K. counter-terrorism police have said that investigations into the circumstances surrounding the events in Gloucestershire are ongoing.
