UK expert sees US position weakening in wake of withdrawal of bombers from British base

DOHA, October 6. /TASS/. The recent sudden withdrawal of US B-1 strategic bombers from Royal Air Base Fairford signals a weakening of the United States’ defense position, Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and UN coordinator, opined.

The UK expert told The National that the withdrawal showed the "weakening of a US defense position by removing assets from a strategically significant base." According to him, Britain’s next steps in the wake of the move would be to reassure Washington that it can handle terrorist threats on its soil, or "that the threat represented in this instance was low."

Another British expert, Peter Ricketts, who served as the kingdom’s first national security adviser in 2010-2012, argued that "what we thought were secure areas in the UK can no longer be considered entirely secure."

On September 27, five people were detained near Fairford Air Base in Gloucestershire in western England. They were released on bail the next day, although they were initially suspected of violating explosives and terrorism laws. Police later reported that no explosives were found in their vans.

The Pentagon confirmed on October 4 that all strategic bombers had been returned from RAF Fairford to the United States. On October 5, US Secretary of State Marco said there was no direct link between the sudden removal of the bombers and the incident at the base.

Later, UN Vice President JD Vance effectively acknowledged that US B-1 strategic bombers were withdrawn due to the incident, seemingly contradicting what Rubio had said earlier.