The U.S. military has evacuated aircraft from a second British airbase in as many months over Iranian threats, pulling refueling tankers and Ospreys from RAF Mildenhall to bases in Germany, Spain, and Scotland — and once again, American personnel and hardware are being run off foreign soil by a country we have no business fighting.
This is the second scramble in weeks. In early October, 12 B-1 bombers were yanked from RAF Fairford after a suspected Iranian-linked terror plot involving vans approaching the base. Now the 100th Air Refueling Wing — the only permanent U.S. refueling wing in Europe — is scattering from Mildenhall. The security posture at both Mildenhall and nearby RAF Lakenheath has been raised to FPCON Charlie, the second-highest level, which Reuters reported applies when intelligence indicates terrorist action is likely. The Wall Street Journal first broke the story; the precise nature of the latest threat remains unclear even to U.S. officials, according to all four outlets covering the evacuation.
At least nine KC-135 Stratotankers left Mildenhall on Monday, flight tracking data confirmed, with four headed to Spangdahlem, one to Ramstein, four to Morón Air Base in Spain, and one to Glasgow Prestwick in Scotland. Three Ospreys relocated to nearby RAF Lakenheath. Pentagon spokesmen offered the usual boilerplate about aircraft "rotating between installations" and refused to comment on specifics.
The backdrop: two British men were charged last month in connection with the Fairford incident. Prosecutors allege 24-year-old Mohmed Abdulkarim assisted a foreign intelligence service, while Nouman Essghir, also 24, was charged with a national security offense for being near a prohibited place. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were "strong indications" Iran "played a part" in the September incident. Tehran denies involvement — but Iran's Revolutionary Guard declared in July that any base used to launch attacks on Iranian territory is a legitimate target. They've made their position clear.
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton warned in an Oct. 23 memo that Iran "has substantially increased efforts to target U.S. personnel" and that lethal plotting has "reached advanced stages" both in the Middle East and beyond. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Paris the administration addressed the threat by "moving people away from the threat." President Trump said resuming strikes on Iran "doesn't seem to be a very necessary thing," citing ongoing negotiations, but added on Truth Social that the U.S. is "locked and loaded."
So the question the bipartisan war machine won't ask: what are American bombers and tankers doing on British soil in the first place? These bases were used to strike Iran. That makes them targets. Every deployment, every relocation, every security escalation costs money — your money — while defense contractors like Boeing, which builds the KC-135, collect on both the hardware and the perpetual rotation. The Gang of Eight got briefed Monday. The lobbying class got its say. Nobody asked the American taxpayer whether this deployment serves a defined U.S. interest, what it costs, or when it ends.
The aircraft moved. The threat didn't. And the bill keeps running.
