EXCLUSIVE — There is credible evidence to suggest that British Special Forces were deployed to an air base used by the U.S. Air Force in the United Kingdom on Saturday.
Royal Air Force Lakenheath is technically a British Royal Air Force base but is utilized by the U.S. Air Force. The base has experienced more than a week of unauthorized drone incursions. More limited incursions have been reported at two other U.S.-utilized bases: RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. The U.K. military subsequently deployed counter-drone specialists to Lakenheath alongside launching search operations by other assets including Apache gunships.
Facing continued drone incursions, however, the Washington Examiner can report that the British Army’s 22 Special Air Service unit and the Royal Navy’s Special Boat Service unit now appear to have been deployed. On Saturday, a Chinook helicopter assigned to the RAF’s No. 7 Squadron special forces unit flew from its home base, RAF Odiham, and landed at the Special Boat Service base in Poole on the English south coast. After a short period, it then flew north to the SAS Stirling Lines base in Credenhill. After a brief landing, it then flew to RAF Lakenheath. The helicopter then spent a slightly longer period on the ground before returning to RAF Odiham.
It is probable that the helicopter was carrying troop-size formations, approximately 16 operators, from both the SAS and SBS. It is possible that elements of the British Army’s Special Reconnaissance Regiment, also based at Stirling Lines, may have joined the flight. Both the SAS and SBS rotate individual squadrons through standby readiness for domestic contingency operations. This deployment underlines the alarm felt in the British Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon over these incursions.
RAF Lakenheath hosts two F-15E and two F-35A fighter squadrons and is also a forward storage facility for U.S. B-61 nuclear bombs. That makes it a high-value concern for NATO and a possible target for Russia. The United States and the U.K. have both publicly disclosed the drone incursions, and local military jet enthusiasts have intercepted radio of U.S. Air Force personnel discussing their search for the drones. The BBC has reported that the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations has also deployed agents to search for the drone operators, though that office did not respond to a Washington Examiner request for comment.
As of Monday, those operating these drones are yet to be publicly identified or detained. As with last year’s suspected Chinese-operated domestic drone incursions at Langley Air Force Base in 2023, when drones are being flown under preplanned flight paths without active ground control, their operators are difficult to track. One source told me there are indications that these drones are being operated with high technical proficiency. Two sources have told the Washington Examiner that Russian-directed actors rather than actors of a more exotic kind are believed to be the most likely culprit.
But the challenge endures. On Monday, U.S. Air Force fighter jets and at least one U.S. military intelligence-surveillance aircraft were overflying the base, even receiving air-to-air refueling, in the hunt for any drones or operators.
Contrary to claims that the U.S. is escalating against Russia in terms of its support for Ukraine, Russia has engaged in an escalating campaign of significant escalatory action against the U.S. and the West in recent months. It is probable that this special forces deployment is designed to provide reinforced security for the base, especially in light of the nuclear weapons concern, and, secondly, as a proactive capability with which to confront any drone operators who may be armed. British Special Forces are highly regarded across the globe, including by the U.S. military. The Army’s Delta Force and Navy’s DEVGRU/Seal Team Six units operate exchange programs with the SAS and SBS, respectively. And as first reported by the Washington Examiner in August 2022, U.K. Special Forces have deployed very close to the Ukrainian front lines in an intelligence and advisory role.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Whoever is responsible for the drones over Lakenheath is clearly regarded as posing a serious security threat to U.S. military operations and British national security. Recent claims from Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder that these incursions are not deemed to pose a “significant mission impact” plainly no longer stand up to serious scrutiny.
Yet, whether the drone operators will be caught remains an open question.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
