U.S. Bases in Europe Go to Higher State of Alert

U.S. commanders in Europe have placed bases in a higher state of alert, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said today.

Singh wouldn’t comment on intelligence matters, but she said U.S. commanders in Europe raised the threat level in response to “a combination of factors and not related to a single threat.” 

Those factors could impact the safety and security of service members and their families based in the region, she said.  

“U.S. European Command is taking steps to increase vigilance for our service members, their families and our facilities,” she said during a Pentagon briefing. “This was done out of an abundance of caution. I won’t get into more specifics.” 

There are a number of high-profile events happening on the continent, including the 2024 European football championship and the upcoming Olympics in Paris. “There are a combination of factors, including events that are taking place in the theater that, just out of due diligence, it is good to make sure that our service members are taking the precautionary measures that they need for themselves and their families,” Singh said. 

In other news, Singh said the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore temporary pier is currently in Israel’s Port of Ashdod because of poor sea conditions off the coast of Gaza. “We’re still assessing when it can be re-anchored,” Singh said. “When sea states calm a bit, [we] will provide an update.” 

The World Food Program and other groups are getting aid out of the marshaling yards to Palestinians. “In terms of the distribution, you did see that some distribution did start [to] back up over the weekend,” Singh said. “It is going to take a few days to move that aid out of the marshaling area that had built up over time.”