By Mika Minio-Paluello
At 16:30 on Friday 10th January, a delegation of 5 weapons inspectors from
Cambridge Students Against the War entered RAF Feltwell, to confirm reports
that the base forms part of a US Weapons of Mass Destruction development
programme. Amongst other concerns, the inspectors believe the base is
assisting in target acquisition for the expected US attacks on Iraq.
Inspectors entered through the main gate, much to the surprise of the
guards, and continued into the base, collecting evidence of activities
carried out on the site. The watching US soldiers were powerless to do
anything but close the gates to the most sensitive areas and await the
military police. Hindered in their progress, the inspectors asked to speak
to the RAF personnel nominally in charge of the installation, but it turned
out to be entirely in American hands. They then demanded that the base
commander and his family be removed from the country for questioning.
However, authorities at the base failed to comply with requests for
cooperation and the weapons inspectors were arrested as they left the site.
The 4 person support team was then arrested across the road from the main
entrance and a vehicle was impounded. All were taken to police stations in
Norfolk and Suffolk and released without charge 6-8 hours later. One was
ordered to report back to the station in the next few days.
A total of three East Anglian US Airforce bases (Feltwell, Lakenheath, and
Mildenhall) have now been inspected within the last month - apart from
anything else revealing an astonishing lack of security at bases storing
weaponry including suspected nuclear weapons. Interviewed after his
release, inspector 'Spikey' said, "Unfortunately, all our findings confirm
local fears that East Anglia is being conscripted into US military
programmes without any democratic discussion or accountability. The
presence of nuclear weapons is not only illegal and immoral, it also makes
this area a potential target for enemies of the US.".
The base at Feltwell is run by the US Air Force as part of a network of
"near-space tracking facilities". These tracking facilities are part of US
attempts to militarise space. Details of these USAF plans can be found on
their website. The plan - known as "Vision
2020" - states that "space forces will emerge to protect military and
commercial interests and investment in the space medium..." Feltwell also
plays an important role as an electronic warfare and surveillance site -
surveillance equipment at Feltwell is used as part of an ongoing US National
Security Agency effort to monitor commercial, personal, and military
electronic communications (phone, email, and radio) worldwide - for more
information, see the Guardian
RAF Lakenheath is the largest US Air Force-operated base in England, and the
most important tactical nuclear bombing base in Europe. The 48th Fighter
Wing at Lakenheath is the US Air Force in Europe's only F-15 Fighter Wing.
It has a long history of use in the Gulf, being the first F-111 fighter unit
to deploy in the First Gulf War in 1991, and was involved in bombing in 1998
and since. NATO and U.S. leaders have asserted that if America is needed
again in this region, the 48th Fighter Wing will be called out first (see
http://www.lakenheath.af.mil/Mission-history/index.html).
RAF Mildenhall, just 20 miles from Cambridge, is a staging post for US
flights to Europe. This includes the nuclear weapons based in Europe under
the NATO nuclear sharing agreement. The US Air Force runs aerial refuelling,
special operations, air mobility, reconnaissance and intelligence out of RAF
Mildenhall. The base's website asserts that RAF Mildenhall is used by the US
Air Force to provide "global power and global reach. Anytime. Anywhere.".
Both Lakenheath and Mildenhall are seeing massive increases in air traffic
as USAF transport, bomber, and fighter aircraft are funnelled towards their
deployment in the Persian Gulf region ready for attacks on Iraq.
CamSAW supporter Nick Gill, hearing the news of the inspections, said, "The
weapons inspectors should be commended for seeking to apply the same
standards to the East Anglian air bases as are currently being applied in
Iraq. In the event of war on Iraq, the so-called RAF bases will be used to
inflict horrendous casualties on the innocent people of Iraq. This cannot be
allowed to happen."
24 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion supporting the Lakenheath inspection
on 12th December. The text and signatories can be seen here
Cambridge Students Against the War (CamSAW) was founded as a response to
USA's 'war on terror' and attack on Afghanistan in 2001. With another
unjustified war imminent, this coalition of students from Cambridge
University, Anglia Polytechnic University and local higher education and
sixth form colleges is continuing to plan actions. More information and some
photos can be found at www.camsaw.org.uk.
