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Threat level “Charlie” in force

(STARS AND STRIPES) STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. military bases in Europe were placed on heightened alert over the weekend as facilities urged members of their staff to remain vigilant.

At the US European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, the Army garrison issued a population-wide warning on Sunday that the threat level had been raised to “Charlie” status until further notice to protect troops.

Similar instructions have been sent to other bases in Germany, including the Rhineland-Palatinate and Ramstein air bases, which together form the largest U.S. military base abroad. The garrison warning for Rhineland-Palatinate also applies to Baumholder and surrounding bases in Romania and Bulgaria.

The Italian air base at Aviano also increased its security level to Charlie and other facilities in Italy introduced increased security measures.

The Charlie threat level “applies when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist act or attack against personnel or facilities is likely,” the Army website says.

According to the warnings, military personnel and others should expect significant delays at the entry gates due to increased security measures.

The US garrison in Stuttgart referred questions about the changes in force protection to EUCOM. In a statement on Sunday, it said that EUCOM “continuously evaluates various factors that affect the security of the US military community abroad. As part of this effort, we often take additional measures to ensure the safety of our soldiers.”

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U.S. military bases in Europe were placed on heightened alert over the weekend as installations urged members to be more vigilant. At U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, the Army garrison issued a community-wide alert Sunday that raised the threat level to “Charlie” until further notice to protect forces.