British and U.S. authorities are investigating several drones that have flown over four U.S. airbases in the UK in recent days. According to Voice of America correspondent Henry Ridgwell, Britain has deployed 60 military personnel around the bases, amid concerns that the drones could be used to disrupt operations or carry out acts of sabotage.
The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that small drones have been regularly spotted flying over four U.S. bases in the UK since November 20. Among them is Lakenheath Air Base, home to the 48th Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force, one of its most important combat bases in Europe.
The Pentagon said this week that it is treating these incidents with the utmost seriousness.
“Officials have determined that so far none of these incursions have affected the facilities at these bases,” said Major General Patrick Ryder, Pentagon spokesperson.
Britain has deployed around 60 soldiers around the bases. Defense Secretary Maria Eagle said they are using “multi-layered defense measures.”
“We will ensure that anyone we manage to capture for involvement in these incidents will face the full force of the law,” she said.
The U.S. military says that the drone incidents “have varied in size and structure.” This is likely indicative of a deliberate action, according to security expert David Dunn.
“The most obvious thing is that these are practices that could create problems, which could in fact force the suspension of air operations,” Dunn said.
Dunn noted that U.S. adversaries could also use drones for other purposes, such as gathering intelligence on the number of fighter aircraft and their locations. Drones have also been seen over areas where U.S. military personnel live.
“The most vulnerable part of the overall system is actually the aircrew. And if it’s discovered where they live, that can be exploited to disrupt the most delicate part of this chain,” Dunn said.
The Times of London reported that authorities have not ruled out Russia’s involvement. Dunn believes there is evidence that Moscow is looking to intensify hybrid attacks, a form of non-military warfare that can also be destructive.
“Whether it’s cutting underwater cables or sending packages with incendiary devices, like the one found at an airport in my hometown of Birmingham—where such a package was discovered—or incidents like the burning of a warehouse where materials bound for Ukraine were stored, these things are typically done by third parties, so the Russian state seems to have hired criminals in Britain,” Dunn added.
The Russian Embassy in London did not respond to requests for comment from Voice of America by the time this article was prepared. Moscow has previously denied any involvement in hybrid attacks in the West.
