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All of the U.S. Air Force's remaining B-1B Lancer bombers were pulled out of RAF Fairford in England on October 4, ending a seven-month or so deployment that had put American heavy bombers within easy striking distance of the Middle East.
A dozen aircraft or so departed from the base over the course of a single day. The departure followed a suspected terror plot near the base. A September 27 incident at Whelford, in which vans and masked individuals were reported, was being investigated by British counter-terrorism police. In the meantime, a number of arrests had been made, and homes near the location evacuated.
UK officials pointed to "strong indications" that the plot involved the Iranian government and reports have suggested that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was involved. Tehran denied any role. The Pentagon confirmed the return of the bombers to their home stations but attributed the timing to operational security reasons rather than the incident, Air and Spaces Magazine and BBC reported.
The Fairford deployment began in early March and supported U.S. operations against Iran. The base cut flight times to the region. At its peak nearly two dozen American bombers, including B-1Bs and B-52s, were stationed there at once, although the B-52s had already rotated out.
An America First defense strategy would note that even with bombers forward deployed on allied bases, those bases carry their own risk. Long-range airpower is, however, still best delivered from within the United States, and remains the backbone of deterrence.
