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RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

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reaperops
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by reaperops » Sun Nov 08, 2020 4:00 pm

slogen51 wrote:
Sun Nov 08, 2020 3:38 pm
I have heard from down Folly Rd that Mildenhall might close or it might not.
Presumably, this rumour was before the lock down commenced and rumours created during lock down shouldn't be posted until Top Management gives the ok. :whistle: . :D.
Here we go........ The Devils Knockin' at my door!

slogen51
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by slogen51 » Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:54 pm

It was meant to be a joke

Is it might shut or may stay open?

Bit off topic but can you be off topic on a thread with 72 pages of conjecture!

Actually time is running out for the F-35A to arrive by 31/12/2020

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by baz1 » Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:57 am

slogen51 wrote:
Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:54 pm
It was meant to be a joke

Is it might shut or may stay open?

Bit off topic but can you be off topic on a thread with 72 pages of conjecture!

Actually time is running out for the F-35A to arrive by 31/12/2020
71pages and still going Mike
Comfortably Numb

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C24
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by C24 » Tue Nov 10, 2020 8:33 am

baz1 wrote:
Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:57 am
slogen51 wrote:
Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:54 pm
It was meant to be a joke

Actually time is running out for the F-35A to arrive by 31/12/2020
71pages and still going Mike
When did it leave?
C24.
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Snoop 95 » Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:24 am

Lengthy article in the local paper about the implications of Joe Biden's Presidency. Mildenhall is mentioned and i am not sure that the terms used are correct. It says that Mr Obama made the decision to close Mildenhall and that Mr Trump overturned it. I know politics has long tentacles but I thought it was the DoD that decided Mildenhall chould go as part of a world-wide re-structuring programme. yes Mr T got upset with the Germans and the reprieve of Mildenhall was probably a spin-off from that, but surely the Military is run by the DoD and locally USAFE.
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/mildenhall- ... -1-6925043

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Agent K » Thu Nov 12, 2020 10:16 am

Snoop 95 wrote:
Thu Nov 12, 2020 8:24 am
Lengthy article in the local paper about the implications of Joe Biden's Presidency. Mildenhall is mentioned and i am not sure that the terms used are correct. It says that Mr Obama made the decision to close Mildenhall and that Mr Trump overturned it. I know politics has long tentacles but I thought it was the DoD that decided Mildenhall chould go as part of a world-wide re-structuring programme. yes Mr T got upset with the Germans and the reprieve of Mildenhall was probably a spin-off from that, but surely the Military is run by the DoD and locally USAFE.
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/mildenhall- ... -1-6925043
Agreed, I doubt they even know where Mildenhall is...….. the base realignment decisions are DoD's response to budget targets set by the government in power at that time, these two (now ex-) Presidents of course will not be making decisions down to this level.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by page_verify » Sat Nov 14, 2020 7:42 pm

"No matter what Generals may say in public about priorities, priorities are truly set by budget. If something is an important, it'll get fully funded. If it's important but less of a priority, it'll get at least partial funding. Things that don't get funded? Well, it's not really a priority, despite whatever rhetoric surrounds it. And it's not just the AF that sets the priorities, but Congress gets to weigh in with the defense authorization and appropriations bills, and can adjust funding (aka priority) as well. And the AF can only spend money on what Congress both authorizes and appropriates, with little ability to move money around without asking Congress for permission first."

"Biden if he becomes POTUS (the most likely thing to happen but he's not yet officially POTUS-elect) will survey the security environment and see we have to pull back or reduce where it's really just because we've been there forever (Germany, UK, Spain, SK) and divest what we really don't need in current quantities or at all. This is not a peace dividend but a reallocation to a combat oriented force capable of defeating peer competitors that have been building systems and tactics to asymmetrically destroy or deny what the US has grown accustomed to having in recent combat operations."

A couple of quotes from a USAF O-5 over on BaseOps.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by CHINOOKER » Sun Nov 15, 2020 11:02 am

Having seen a lot of news coverage of Biden over the past week or so,future decision making seems to be a "mixed bag". He is reported to be keen to rebuild bridges with Germany after Trump somewhat called them out for thier defence spending etc! On the other hand, Biden seems to be more sceptical of closer relations with both China and Russia,which Trump had started to "cosy up to". Only time will tell,which way the new administration will go!!

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Kurnass » Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:14 pm

It seems the relocation of US troops from Germany is off the table again. According to German media US Congress will block a pullout from Germany. Grafenwohr and Vilseck were hardest hit by these pullout, but also the relocation from Spangdahlem F-16’s might be off the table.
Last edited by Kurnass on Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Vulcan74
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Vulcan74 » Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:25 pm

Seems most plans put forward by Trumps government are up in the air again!!

Kurnass
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Kurnass » Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:10 pm

Vulcan74 wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:25 pm
Seems most plans put forward by Trumps government are up in the air again!!
That was to be expected. The first months of Biden’s presidency will be mainly about 2 things: corona virus, and repairing damage done to international relations by Trump

Unknown74
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Unknown74 » Sat Dec 05, 2020 9:24 pm

Let's just keep our fingers crossed for Mildenhall.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Rugbyref » Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:37 am

Kurnass wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:10 pm
Vulcan74 wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:25 pm
Seems most plans put forward by Trumps government are up in the air again!!
That was to be expected. The first months of Biden’s presidency will be mainly about 2 things: corona virus, and repairing damage done to international relations by Trump
Yes, Biden will seek to wind back on the good relations the US built with the UK.

Kurnass
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Kurnass » Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:04 am

Rugbyref wrote:
Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:37 am
Kurnass wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:10 pm
Vulcan74 wrote:
Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:25 pm
Seems most plans put forward by Trumps government are up in the air again!!
That was to be expected. The first months of Biden’s presidency will be mainly about 2 things: corona virus, and repairing damage done to international relations by Trump
Yes, Biden will seek to wind back on the good relations the US built with the UK.
Remember these words from Joe Biden....

“We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.

Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period.”

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Finty
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Finty » Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:53 pm

As per above, from DW

Germany welcomes bid to halt US troop withdrawal

Berlin hopes the bid to halt US troop withdrawals will buy time for talks with Washington — or lead to the plans being scrapped altogether. President Donald Trump's plans would see 12,000 troops pulled from Germany. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed relief on Friday over a move by US lawmakers to halt planned troop reductions that would see thousands of soldiers leave Germany.

"As things stand we have never been given any information about the troop reductions that were announced in July, so we can't say what the plans are or if they even exist," Maas told reporters. "But we are glad that there appears to be agreement between Republicans and Democrats in Washington on revisiting this decision," he added. "American soldiers are welcome here. They contribute not just to Germany's but also to Europe's security."

What did US lawmakers agree? Late Thursday, US lawmakers from both parties agreed a final version of the nation's annual defense spending bill — which included a section expressing support for US troops to remain in Germany. The bill bars the withdrawal of any troops in Germany for 120 days until the secretary of defense submits an analysis of the impact of the withdrawal. The bill still needs to pass Congress and also faces a potential veto from outgoing President Donald Trump. In June, Trump announced plans to withdraw some 12,000 soldiers out of the approximately 34,500 stationed across Germany. There has been a major US military presence in Germany ever since 1945, with troops in the former West Germany effectively the advanced guard for a feared Soviet invasion during the Cold War.

Other German politicians have welcomed the move, saying it could signify a renewal of German-US relations. Thomas Silberhorn, a junior minister at the German Defense Ministry, told DW the move at the very least buys German officials time to hold talks with their US counterparts. "It is a preliminary hold — in order to reconsider the situation, in order to define American interests and also in order to have consultations with Germany and Europe as NATO allies, and we hope to be able to take this opportunity, to put forward our arguments," he said. Roderich Kiesewetter, an MP and parliamentary foreign policy expert for Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), described the development as "step forward" in trans-Atlantic ties. Kiesewetter, who is a former military officer, said the presence of US troops in Germany was significant not only for Washington's ties with Berlin, but also for wider defense decisions in the region. "It's not only a question of reassurance, it's also not only a question of tradition — it's a sign […] that US policy, accepts the threat assessment of the Eastern European countries, and it accepts as well the hospitality of the German society."

An previous version of this article stated that Trump made the troop withdrawal announcement in July, when the announcement came in June. This has now been corrected. DW apologizes for the error.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-welcomes- ... a-55829501
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Stewyb1
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Stewyb1 » Mon Dec 07, 2020 8:00 am

In other words, as you were with nothing changing in Germany or UK ie Mildenhall stays open with current hardware remaining and Spag keeps its F16’s!

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by page_verify » Thu Dec 10, 2020 10:30 am

If nothing much changes in Germany, then the US is still left with a base it previously determined it can't afford to operate that needs expensive upgrades which it previously determined it didn't need. So back to square one.
I think big questions will be asked before any money is invested in making Mildenhall ready for the KC-46.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Spitfire88 » Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:49 pm

RJ will not move to Fairford:

This information was sent out to the residents of Marston Meysey although we probably know this anyway.
RAF Fairford update - the United States of America notified the MOD that the decision had been made to keep the RC-135 RIVET JOINT Mission at its current location of RAF Mildenhall, There remain several other projects that will increase the population at RAF Fairford, but not to the extent that was anticipated under the RC-135. In short, there will be US dollars spent on upgrading facilities and some construction work that has been planned alongside the RC-135 plans and these will lead to a gentle increase in personnel based at Fairford from now until circa 2024.

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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by thevulcan » Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:54 pm

Was to be expected. Still will be interesting to see the MPH The DABS and the MHA being constructed.
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Spitfire88
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Re: RAF Mildenhall to close. Lakenheath to get F-35 by 2020

Post by Spitfire88 » Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:56 pm

thevulcan wrote:
Thu Dec 10, 2020 1:54 pm
Was to be expected. Still will be interesting to see the MPH The DABS and the MHA being constructed.
Fairford will still be a lot busier than it has been so that a bonus and it’s good that the hall will remain.

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