US military withdraws all B-1 bombers stationed at RAF Fairford, UK

China News Service, October 5 (Wei Chenxi) According to reports from the New York Times, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and many other foreign media, on the 4th local time, two US officials stated that the US had withdrawn all 12 B-1 bombers deployed at RAF Fairford Base in the United Kingdom to the United States.

Image source: Screenshot of the New York Times report

"Very unusual"?

The New York Times believes that "this withdrawal is very unusual."

Many foreign media mentioned that when the United States withdrew its bombers from the Fairford base, the British police had previously arrested a number of people suspected of planning terrorist operations against the base.

The Wall Street Journal believed that the move was due to security concerns over a suspected terrorist plot against the base.

The Associated Press later reported that the U.S. Air Force had withdrawn all bombers deployed at the Fairford base to the United States after investigating a suspected terrorist attack plot against the base.

Reuters and the British "Guardian" mentioned that the United States had previously used the Fairford base in northwest London as the hub for bombing operations against Iran. Before the recent withdrawal, a total of 12 B-1 bombers were deployed at the base.

On September 27, the British police received a report that three suspicious vehicles were suspected of driving towards the Royal Air Force Fairford Base in Gloucestershire. The police subsequently arrested five British men in their 20s and evacuated about 85 nearby residents.

British police added that a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle involved found no improvised explosive devices, but a certain amount of gasoline was found in the vehicle. Currently, the relevant personnel are still under investigation.

What does it mean after withdrawal?

Does the withdrawal of B-1 bombers from Fairford mean that the United States has lost the ability to carry out long-range strikes against Iran?

Reuters quoted the U.S. Pentagon as saying that all U.S. bombers deployed at the Fairford base have been redeployed to bases in the United States. The Pentagon also emphasized that the U.S. bomber force still has global precision strike capabilities and can take off and land from the U.S. mainland and conduct related military operations.

However, from the perspective of military deployment methods, this change is still worthy of attention.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that the United States did not publicly explain the specific reasons for withdrawing the bombers, but British government sources did not deny that this decision was related to the security incident near the Fairford base on September 27. The BBC quoted sources as saying that the decision was a military-level action rather than a political-level decision.

Analysts said that from the perspective of military deployment methods, this withdrawal means that the US military has at least temporarily reduced the deployment of bombers in Fairford.

Previously, one of the important functions of the Fairford base was to shorten the distance for U.S. bombers to fly to the Middle East to perform missions; the Wall Street Journal also pointed out that it had previously served as an important fulcrum for the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran, and about 12 B-1 bombers were still deployed here before the withdrawal.

This also means that although the United States still has the ability to carry out long-range precision strikes from its homeland, the flight distance and corresponding aerial refueling and logistics arrangements required to perform relevant tasks from the United States will be different compared to taking off from a forward base in the United Kingdom.

It is worth noting that the security incident at the Fairford base occurred at a time when the conflict between the United States and Iran has not completely subsided.

Reuters mentioned that the British government had previously approved the United States to use the base to carry out related "defensive" strikes against Iran. The British side subsequently stated that there were "strong indications" that Iran may be involved in related actions against the base; Iran denied this accusation.

The analysis further pointed out that rather than directly interpreting this withdrawal as a fundamental shift in the US military policy towards Iraq, it is better to regard it first as a deployment adjustment to address the security risks of overseas military bases. At least judging from the current public information, the United States has not given up its long-range strike capabilities; this change has a more direct impact on where and how the United States conducts relevant military operations.

It remains to be seen whether the United States will further adjust its military deployment in Europe and the Middle East, and whether this withdrawal will have a greater impact on subsequent military operations in Iraq. (End)

("International Knowledge Bureau" column)