850 jobs affected in US airbase closures

An estimated 850 British civilian jobs will be affected by the closures of three US airbases in East Anglia, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has told Recruiter.
Fri, 9 Jan 2015 | By Recruiter staff An estimated 850 British civilian jobs will be affected by the closures of three US airbases in East Anglia, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has told Recruiter.

At the same time, the MoD said it was hoped about 100 UK civilian jobs would be created by impending investment at another US airbase, RAF Croughton, near Oxford.

Expansion has also been announced at Mildenhall’s neighbouring US Air Force (USAF) base, RAF Lakenheath. However, no estimate of projected local British hires has been announced in connection with that expansion.

The US Department of Defense announced yesterday [8 January] that RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth in Cambridgeshire would close over a seven-year period as part of a wider realignment of its overseas military presence.  

British civilian employees work in a variety of functions across the network of US bases in the UK, from administrative, finance and planning roles to graphic design and managing leisure centres and activities. Many are employed by MoD. Others are employed through the Local National Direct Hires programme (LNDH), and others still through additional employment structures.

“We are working with the US to ensure that we bring the certainty that our people require as soon as possible, and are committed to supporting them through this difficult time,” the MoD said.

Mildenhall is a major employer in rural Suffolk, and Americans assigned there have a major economic impact on area shops and businesses. Many children from the US bases located there attend local British schools.  

While the Mildenhall closure caught many observers by surprise, Alconbury and Molesworth have been in a drawdown phase for a number of years, with rumours often circulating about their impending closure.

Councillor Mark Bee of Suffolk County Council said in a prepared statement: “This is not the first time that Suffolk has dealt with the closure of a major airbase. US forces moved out of RAF Bentwaters in 1993, and the economy of the area has subsequently benefited from growth in housing, an increasingly diverse economic base and growth in the visitor economy in nearby towns such as Woodbridge. We will look to see what lessons we can learn from this to help us with the Mildenhall closure.”

In a statement from the Forest Heath District, in which Mildenhall is resident, district council leader Councillor James Waters said the announcements meant “huge changes” for Forest Heath. “But I am optimistic that there are opportunities for reinvention, growth and investment. We will look to ensure not only that these opportunities are taken, but that any future plans for the bases are the right ones for the people of Forest Heath.”

In nearby Cambridge, Marshalls of Cambridge, of which Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group is a major component, said that the announced closure of Mildenhall had “no impact” on the company overall or its significant ongoing programme of investment in its businesses, including Cambridge Airport. Marshall has often been mentioned by local sources in potentially having an interest in using some of the Mildenhall site.

Recruiter staff DeeDee Doke, Sarah Marquet and Graham Simons contributed to this article.

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