US military withdraws from three RAF bases

The US military is to pull out of three British bases, including a major airbase that is home to 3,200 personnel and has hosted US Air Force aircraft since the start of the Cold War.

The move has been described as “disappointing” by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon after the US Department of Defence confirmed it would be handing back RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to the Royal Air Force.

There are fears for 190 locally employed civilian staff at the base, however Mr Fallon welcomed the decision by the Pentagon to base two squadrons of new F-35 fighters at nearby the RAF Lakenheath base from 2020, claiming it was a “resounding vote of confidence” from the United States.

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