U.S. military bases across Europe were put on heightened alert over the weekend due to concerns that terrorist activity or attacks on personnel or installations are "likely," according to an Army explanation of the threat level.
However, Pentagon officials said Monday that the move to put all Europe bases on the second-highest alert status was not done out of any specific threat but rather an abundance of caution, given several major public events happening over the summer on the continent, including the Euro Cup soccer tournament and the Olympics.
"It was due to a combination of factors potentially impacting the safety and security of service members stationed in the European theater," Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters Monday. "I'm not going to get into more specifics on the intelligence itself, but it's not a single threat -- it's a combination of different factors."
Stars and Stripes was the first outlet to report that over the weekend U.S. European Command ordered bases on the continent to force protection condition "Charlie" -- the second-highest state out of five.
Army websites say that that condition is imposed when there is intelligence that suggests "some form of terrorist action or targeting against personnel or facilities is likely."
"You might see increased security measures at the gates, or even gate closures and the presence of additional security forces," according to a 2022 Army article. The condition also "sets into motion curtailment plans for nonessential personnel."
However, both Singh and defense officials said that the unusual increase in defensive posture is less about a specific terrorist threat and more about an overabundance of caution amid a busy summer packed with major events on the continent.
One official said that the move was done "out of concern of a combination of factors, such as ongoing and upcoming large public forums including the Euro Cup and the Olympics, along with an increasing threat of attacks by potential bad actors against various non-military targets in Europe."
In late March, the French government raised its security level to its highest level following a terror attack in Russia.
Meanwhile, in May, the U.S. State Department advised U.S. citizens overseas to "exercise increased caution" and said that it is "aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQ+ persons and events."
Singh would not say whether other bases in the Middle East, Africa or the Indo-Pacific were making similar moves to increase their defensive posture.
She also said that she didn't have a timeline for when the restrictive measures would end in Europe.
The defense official speaking for U.S. European Command said that the theater "constantly monitors the security environment to ensure its personnel are informed and best postured to assure the safety of their individual person, family and loved ones."
"As always, [U.S. European Command] advises personnel in the European theater to remain vigilant and stay alert at all times, including reporting suspicious activity, monitoring Department of State travel advisories, and implementing prudent personal risk mitigation measures," the official added.
