The public deserves to know more about the threats to our country and our allies. The threat level was raised to Charlie this week, the second-highest, for several military bases in Europe. Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said the decision was made out of an “abundance of caution” that was driven by a “combination of factors,” including the major sporting events going on and coming up in the region. She said it wasn’t a “single threat” that brought on the rise in security levels.
This increase is the result of a combination of events occurring across Europe, including elections in France and the United Kingdom, the Olympics, other major sporting events, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to provide additional details. But they said they were unaware of any specific threat.
Typically, force protection Charlie is instituted “when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely.” This means extra security measures will be present at U.S. military installations, but each commander will determine what each of these measures looks like.
At one particular base, an enlisted U.S. serviceman in Europe said no trucks are being allowed to make deliveries and any day trips off base require special permission. In an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner, he described how people now have to show ID to buy groceries or leave camp, even though it is entirely on base. This type of action appears out of alignment with the Pentagon’s claim that the rise in security levels was out of “an abundance of caution.”
“What we’ve been hearing is that former convicts were hired by Russian military intelligence to break into bases in Poland, Romania, and Germany and sabotage mechanized vehicles and airways,” he said.
He said the other rumor being circulated is that a “few Russian agents tried to get into MK Air Base, which is only a day’s drive from Ukraine and has both American and Romanian aircrafts.” RoAF 57th Air Base, also known as MK, is one of the largest bases in Europe. After Feb. 24, 2022, MK became NATO’s easternmost location, with troops flying in from almost all NATO countries. This base holds massive implications for both the United States and most NATO countries.
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He summed up that “all bases from Romania north to Poland, and Poland east to Germany are all on FPCON Charlie, and the same rumors of attempted break-ins and saboteurs are there.”
Those hoping to threaten America and its allies hold no end. How long will these threats last? The U.S. military is not usually for specific statements, but the nature of the threat to our armed personnel abroad deserves to be known. If these rumors are true, countries such as Romania and Poland could have grounds to trigger Article 5 of NATO. These serious rumors need answers from Pentagon officials. Our people and our troops deserve to know if our interests are being threatened abroad.