The U.S. Air Force abruptly moved more than a dozen aircraft from RAF Mildenhall in eastern England after an emerging security threat, U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the relocation, citing sources who said the threat was linked to Iran.
While officials evaluated the threat’s nature and urgency, commanders raised RAF Mildenhall’s security status to Force Protection Condition Charlie. The designation is the military’s second-highest alert level and signals a likely terrorist threat targeting personnel or facilities.
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial refueling tanker takes off from RAF Mildenhall. (AP Photo/Max Nash, File)
Flight-tracking information and open-source analysts from the Military Air Tracking Alliance identified 13 U.S. aircraft departing the base late Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Nine Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers were sent to airfields in Scotland, Germany and Spain.
Three CV-22B Ospreys were transferred to nearby RAF Lakenheath, where hardened aircraft shelters are available.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that the relocations were precautionary. Some of the aircraft were deployed on a rotating basis, while others were permanently stationed in the United Kingdom, the official said.
U.S. aircrews inspect a B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber on the flight line at RAF Fairford. Reports say the United Kingdom is refusing to allow the United States to use the base for a possible strike against Iran. (Getty Images)
The latest relocation is the second significant movement of U.S. military aircraft from a British base in fewer than two months.
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In early October, the Air Force removed heavy bombers from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire after British counterterrorism officers stopped three suspicious vans traveling toward the base on Sept. 27.
Two men have since been charged under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act.
Also on Tuesday, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against three Iranian-backed operatives accused of participating in coordinated terrorist plots across Europe, including an alleged plot involving RAF Fairford.
The main gate at RAF Fairford is shown on Sept. 27, 2026, in Fairford, United Kingdom. Police declared a major incident after evacuating residents from homes in Whelford, a village about one mile from the base, which hosts U.S. Air Force bombers involved in the conflict with Iran. (David Bown/Getty Images)
RAF Mildenhall hosts the 100th Air Refueling Wing, the only U.S. tanker wing permanently based in Europe.
The wing’s KC-135 Stratotankers conduct aerial refueling missions supporting allied operations and long-range strikes throughout the region.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States regularly shifts military forces around the world.
“We are constantly repositioning forces around the world for a variety of reasons,” Rubio told reporters when asked about the aircraft relocation.
A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said British air bases remain secure and that London and Washington maintain an ongoing exchange of intelligence about potential threats.