It's time for the RAF to mend fences
Fortunately, it appears that any such risk ends at the boundaries of Britain's military facilities, where no information gathering activity, or preparation for wartime sabotage, could ever be expected to occur. This, at least, is the conclusion one would draw looking at the arrangements around RAF bases around the country.
The Telegraph has today revealed that sites including those set to host Britain's new nuclear-capable fighter jets are protected by little more than garden style wooden fences, hedges, or thin air. Patrols were infrequently observed, and CCTV and barbed wire apparently absent from sections of the perimeter. These sites included airstrips which currently host fighter squadrons and the RAF's main intelligence and surveillance base.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman insisted that military sites 'operate a multi-layered approach to protect our sites', and it is understood that there are non-visible security measures. However, after a deeply embarrassing intrusion into an active RAF base there are surely questions about whether current practice is up to scratch.
As others have noted, the next incursion into a base could see significantly more damage done to vulnerable assets. At a time when senior figures are imploring the British public to take defence seriously, it might behove them to take this threat seriously, and set a better example.
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