U.S. military bases in Europe alert for raised threats

A photo of the 52nd Fighter Wing welcome sign at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, May 6, 2024. The wing is composed of approximately 5,000 military and civilian personnel spread across nine geographically separated units in five different nations | U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Albert Morel

U.S. military bases in Europe have been placed on high alert in response to an elevated threat perception.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in Washington D.C. on Monday that the raised alert status was ‘due to a combination of factors and not related to a single threat’ that were ‘potentially impacting the safety and security of service members stationed in the European theatre.’ Singh added, “U.S. European Command is taking steps to increase vigilance for our service members, their families and our facilities. This was done out of an abundance of caution.“

While there has been speculation that potential targets might include those associated with the UEFA European Football Championship that ends on July 15th and the Paris Olympics beginning on July 26th, Singh answered news reporters’ questions, saying, “We don’t have a timeline,” adding, “What I can tell you is it’s a combination of factors. It’s not a single threat. You mentioned some very large, big events that are taking place in Europe. That’s certainly a factor, but it’s one of many factors. It’s a combination of different factors that has led to EUCOM taking steps to increase vigilance for our service members.”

Declining the invitation to comment on possible intelligence inputs that led to the alert status, Singh said, “Look, I can’t speak to the why some people feel compelled to talk about some of these changes. What I can just tell you is that the commander for the theatre felt that there were additional steps needed to increase vigilance for our service members, for their families. This is also something that happens all around the world.
It’s at the commander’s discretion and it was out of an abundance of caution,” repeating, “There are a combination of factors, including events that are taking place in that theatre that just out of due diligence, it’s good to make sure that our service members are taking the precautionary measures that they need to for themselves and their families.”

Apart from various U.S. bases in Germany and Italy issuing their own precautions for their personnel, Stars and Stripes reported on Sunday that Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, ‘issued its own alert that said 52nd Fighter Wing airmen were prohibited from wearing their uniforms off base as a precaution, and must commute in civilian clothing’ citing “operational security reasons.”