Flimsy defense of NATO warplanes exposed by media

The UK military reportedly still has vulnerable sites despite two of its aircraft being vandalized last month

The UK’s new nuclear-capable F-35 fighter jets are protected by only five-foot-high (1.5m) fencing and warning signs, leaving them vulnerable to potential attacks, The Telegraph reported on Friday.

A Royal Air Force (RAF) base suffered a vandalism attack just weeks ago, as the UK prepares for a major NATO rearmament push to counter the supposed “threat” from Russia. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed such allegations.

A number of the RAF’s most important airstrips are severely under-defended and vulnerable to potential attacks by “determined activists and foreign agents,” according to an investigation carried out by the outlet.

The security risks are clearly visible on publicly available Google Street View, and such activist groups as the group Palestine Action, as well as “hostile foreign powers,” have likely already assessed the weaknesses, the newspaper noted, citing analysts.

Two weeks ago, members of Palestine Action broke into the RAF Brize Norton base and damaged two British military planes. UK lawmakers have since moved to designate the group a terrorist organization. The British military has ordered a security review across all military sites since the incident.

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According to The Telegraph, while the RAF has made attempts to strengthen the security of its bases, gaps remain. Some of the bases still have barbed wire “absent for large distances,” the security cameras did not have full coverage of the perimeters, and patrols are infrequent, the newspaper wrote.

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The Labour government has been facing budget troubles as it struggles to free up more money for rising military commitments. Just this past Tuesday it partially reversed plans to cut back on social benefits.

According to Downing Street, the UK aims to reach 4.1% of GDP on military spending over the next two years. This is in line with a wider NATO military buildup that is being described as a deterrent to an alleged “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.” The figure is nearly twice as high as the roughly 2.3% the UK spent on its military in 2024.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed claims that it has any intention of attacking NATO countries as “nonsense.” The EU and UK have “simply robbed” their taxpayers for years by diverting money to militarization rather than addressing “acute and aggravating socio-economic problems,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week.