Stars and Stripes: pilots at US Air Force base in Germany restricted from wearing uniforms
The command at Spangdahlem Air Force Base in western Germany has banned pilots of the 52nd Fighter Wing based there from wearing uniforms outside the base, according to the Pentagon-funded publication Stars and Stripes.
Under the order issued Saturday, pilots will be required to travel to their duty station in civilian clothes, a decision pitched as a “precautionary measure.”
Air base officials declined to provide further details for “operational security reasons.”
As Stars and Stripes notes, measures regarding uniforms have been taken in the past in the context of possible terrorist threats. In 2010, the U.S. military’s European Command (EUCOM) issued a directive that temporarily banned service members from wearing uniforms off-duty; in 2014, uniforms were banned only when travelling for duty, with restrictions relaxed in 2022.
CNN reported on Sunday that US military bases in Europe have been placed on high alert due to the threat of a terrorist attack – likely the highest in at least 10 years. A U.S. military official told RIA Novosti that EUCOM, amid reports of a possible terrorist attack on U.S. military bases in the region, is doubling its level of vigilance to ensure the safety of the country’s military personnel and their families stationed in the region.