US military bases to receive $140mln worth of maintenance services: UK

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Dec 2022 20:49
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US forces stationed in the UK will receive repair and other services at their bases under new contracts worth 117 million pounds ($144 million).

UK to provide maintenance services worth $140mln to US military bases

The United Kingdom will provide maintenance and other services to US military facilities on its territory under contracts awarded by the Defense Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) in June for a three-year period, according to the DIO press service on Thursday.

The US forces stationed in the UK will receive repair and other services at their bases under new contracts worth 117 million pounds ($144 million), according to the DIO. It was noted that the parties considered previous experience in order to find solutions that best suit the needs of the visiting forces, with a focus on quality rather than price.

"Cooperation between the US and UK is as important now as it has ever been. The presence of US Forces in the UK is of vital strategic importance as part of our shared commitment to NATO and the defence of Europe. These new contracts are a further step forward in improving the quality of service we provide to our US partners," DIO Chief Operating Officer David Brewer said in a statement.

The contracts went into effect on December 1 and will last three years, with a two-year extension option, according to the government.

According to the statement, the facilities in question are located at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall, RAF Croughton, RAF Molesworth, RAF Alconbury, RAF Fairford, and RAF Menwith Hill.

Since WWII, US forces have maintained a continuous presence in the United Kingdom, initially as part of the allied efforts against Nazi Germany. The Status of Forces Agreement legally regulates the deployment of US bases in the UK. The agreement allows military forces, located throughout the country, to operate within and with the consent of the host state.

While the UK provides maintenance and other services to US military facilities, the US army is sending aid to Ukraine instead.

Earlier, reports revealed how the US Army is fighting a losing battle against mold, a tenacious foe that threatens the health of troops at some of America's most important military bases.

A popular TikTok reveals difficulties at Fort Stewart in Georgia, weeks after mold infestations in more than a dozen dormitories prompted the Army to evacuate roughly 1,100 soldiers at its largest facility, North Carolina's Fort Bragg.

“Army officials have no plans other than waiting a decade for new facilities," referring to Fort Stewart, according to Military.com.

Military.com reporter Steve Beynon interviewed more than 20 soldiers, and in one instance, an enlisted man who just returned to Fort Stewart after a long deployment in Europe discovered that "mold had completely consumed his room."

Mold had grown on the walls, the bed had become black and green, and most of the soldier's things had been ruined.