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RAF Mildenhall: USAF to make announcement on airbase future RAF Mildenhall: USAF to make announcement on airbase future
(about 2 hours later)
The United States Air Force is set to make an announcement on its future use of three UK airbases, amid reports they will close.The United States Air Force is set to make an announcement on its future use of three UK airbases, amid reports they will close.
The independent Stars & Stripes magazine said the US government has decided to pull out of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Alconbury and Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.The independent Stars & Stripes magazine said the US government has decided to pull out of RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Alconbury and Molesworth in Cambridgeshire.
A statement from the USAF said a review of operations in Europe was "ongoing".A statement from the USAF said a review of operations in Europe was "ongoing".
It said an official announcement was "anticipated" during the afternoon.It said an official announcement was "anticipated" during the afternoon.
The USAF leases the Royal Air Force bases from the UK government.The USAF leases the Royal Air Force bases from the UK government.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The US Department of Defence (DoD) has been reviewing its requirement for bases across Europe as part of (its) European infrastructure consolidation review.A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The US Department of Defence (DoD) has been reviewing its requirement for bases across Europe as part of (its) European infrastructure consolidation review.
"We expect the DoD to announce the results of the review today and we will make a detailed statement in parallel.""We expect the DoD to announce the results of the review today and we will make a detailed statement in parallel."
RAF Mildenhall is used as a transport hub by the USAF and is home to air refuelling tankers and special operations forces.
It has about 3,200 military personnel, with 400-500 UK civilian staff employed there.
Reports suggested the USAF was planning to expand operations at neighbouring RAF Lakenheath by basing two squadrons of F-35 jets there.
Both bases are in the Forest Heath District Council area.
James Waters, leader of the council, said: "We are very aware this affects the lives of many people in our community, so we do not want to add to that speculation.
"However if these reports turn out to be true, then clearly it would mean huge changes, but I firmly believe that every change brings opportunities and I would be optimistic that, given the strengths and resilience of our local community and west Suffolk, we can work with our partners to ensure we make the most of any new opportunities."
USAF bases
By Jonathan Marcus, BBC Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent
For some years now the US military has been reviewing its bases in Europe, eager to reduce its footprint to rationalise and cut costs.
In part it is due to budget constraints but it is also driven by strategic changes as the Pentagon turns its gaze increasingly towards the Asia-Pacific.
RAF Mildenhall has been an important base for the Americans since the early 1950s when it was home to strategic bombers.
Currently it houses US Air Force Special Forces and a fleet of air-to-air tankers.
The latter, though less glamorous than fast jets, are some of the most important elements of the USAF, described by one analyst as the "kryptonite" of modern air power.
They enable combat and support aircraft to reach their targets and to remain over combat zones for the time needed to carry out their missions.
It is likely that the KC-135 tankers from Mildenhall will move to a US base in Germany.
British defence sources are eager to stress that the base closures here - two US-run communications stations at RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire are also to shut down - do not represent any dilution of Washington's commitment to European security.
Indeed RAF Lakenheath is due to host two squadrons of new F-35 aircraft when they enter service.
Over recent months the Americans have deployed small but significant reinforcements to Europe to reassure NATO allies like Poland and the Baltic republics in the wake of Russia's actions against Ukraine.
There was a brief moment after 2013 when all US tanks had been withdrawn from Europe.
At the height of the Cold War there were 20 US armoured divisions here or about 6,000 tanks.
Today about a battalion's worth are back in Europe exercising with allies.
But the Pentagon has plans to store an armoured brigade's worth of equipment - some 150 tanks along with other armoured vehicles - in Europe by 2015.
RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth are used as USAF communications bases, rather than for flying, and their operations were expected to move to RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
The USAF has about 750 military personnel at the two Cambridgeshire bases, with a further 1,500 civilian employees and dependents.
Jason Ablewhite, leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, said the news was "hugely disappointing" as both bases contributed about £40m a year to the local economy.