There Is Potential Threat, NATO Air Base In Germany Increases Security Level

Security patrols in NATO Air Base Gielenkirchen, (Wikimedia Commons/NATO E-3A Component)

JAKARTA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) air base in the German city of Geislenkirchen has raised the level of security "based on intelligence information indicating potential threats," he said late Thursday.

"All staff who are not important to the mission have been sent home as a precaution," the base said in a statement on social media platform X, without providing details.

"The safety of our staff is our top priority. Operations continue as planned," he continued.

A base spokesman in Geislenkirchen said the threat level had been raised to Charlie, the second highest level of the four alert statuses, defined as "an incident (which) has occurred or intelligence has been received indicating that several forms of terrorist acts against NATO organizations or personnel are very likely to occur".

This is the second time a base hosting a fleet of NATO AWACS reconnaissance aircraft has raised security levels, after an incident last week when a military base near Cologne was temporarily closed as authorities investigated possible water supply sabotage.

On the same day, the base in Geislenkirchen also reported a seizure attempt that triggered a thorough sweep of the venue.

Regarding the alleged sabotage at the base in Cologne, the German military then gave a clear statement, saying test results showed that tap water was not contaminated.

NATO has previously warned of a campaign of hostile activities carried out by Russia, including acts of sabotage and cyberattacks. Russia regularly accuses NATO of threatening its security.

In June, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Western military alliances saw a growing pattern and that recent attacks were the result of Russian intelligence becoming more active.

Several incidents in NATO have been considered suspicious by analysts in recent years, among which is the breakdown of an important submarine cable linking Svalbard to the Norwegian mainland in 2022.