US defense officials raised the security alert level at military bases in Europe over the weekend in response to vague threats from the Kremlin regarding Ukraine's use of long-range weapons on Russian territory, according to US and Western officials.
Officials said no specific intelligence had been gathered about potential Russian attacks on US targets. Any such attack by Russia, whether overt or covert, would further intensify its war in Ukraine.
Russia is stepping up sabotage activities in Europe to disrupt the flow of material to Ukraine. So far, no US locations have been targeted in those attacks, but US officials said raising the alert level would help ensure service members are keeping watch.
Throughout the war, U.S. officials have assessed that President Vladimir V. Putin is reluctant to expand the war beyond Ukraine’s borders.
But an increase in aid from the U.S. and Europe and an easing of restrictions on the use of that material have rattled Moscow, according to U.S. officials. Russia's recent statements have worried some U.S. and European officials.
Ukraine is using long-range US missiles known as 'European missiles'. ATACMS to strike deep into occupied Crimea. The US has also said Ukraine could use them to launch cross-border attacks on Russian military bases.
Russia summoned U.S. Ambassador Lynn M. Tracy to the Foreign Ministry after the attacks on Crimea. And on June 24, a Kremlin spokesman said that direct U.S. involvement in the war that led to the deaths of Russians “will have consequences.”
The US decision to provide the long-range weapon and ease restrictions on its use comes after Britain decided to provide Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, which Kiev used to attack military targets in Crimea.
Attacks by Western weapons, particularly in Crimea, have proven effective, damaging Russian military logistics centres and further weakening Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
But following the success of the attacks, Moscow is looking for ways to prevent further attacks.
In recent months, Russia has carried out a series of sabotage attacks The campaign, run by Russian military intelligence, has at times been random, including setting fire to an Ikea store. But NATO has repeatedly warned about these incidents, and Britain expelled a Russian defense attache after a warehouse fire in London.
Military bases that provide training, intelligence and other support to Ukraine could logically be a target, even though there is no specific intelligence that Russia is considering such an attack.
Protecting military bases and the people who live and work on them is what the Pentagon typically calls force protection. Beyond things like simple fences or guards protecting base gates, it includes a range of increasingly restrictive security measures that can be implemented in proportion to a given threat.
Most U.S. military facilities around the world are in the second-lowest status, called force protection status “alpha,” which includes measures such as instructing officers to test their communications equipment and increasing spot checks of vehicles and people entering bases.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is status “delta,” which is set when an attack is imminent or underway. This level closes non-essential functions such as base schools, instructs to search all vehicles at entrances, adds more guards and heavily restricts the movement of nearly everyone on a given base.
Currently, U.S. military bases in Europe are in “Charlie” status, which is the second-highest level and the highest level of readiness that can be maintained for a significant period of time.
Over the weekend, Commander Daniel Day, a spokesman for the US European Command, said the military was asking its personnel to “remain vigilant and alert at all times.”
In a statement on Monday, European Command said officials would not provide details of the measures being taken to protect their operational security.
“Our increase in alert is not related to any single threat, but rather out of an abundance of caution due to a combination of factors that could potentially impact the safety and security of U.S. service members in the European theater,” the command said in a statement.
Eric Smith Contributed reporting.
