U.S. military bases heighten security level in Europe

U.S. military bases in Europe have increased the threat level to the second-highest for service members in the U.S. armed forces, the Associated Press reported on Monday. The U.S. European Command issued Force Protection Condition (FPCON) Charlie over the weekend to U.S. garrisons in the region until further notice, according to the AP. Garrisons have increased security, limited some services such as restaurants and barbershops, and reminded personnel to be vigilant.

What is FPCON Charlie? Level Charlie applies when there is activity or intelligence indicating that terrorist action is likely, according to the U.S. Army. The five FPCON levels, from least to most severe, are Normal, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. The level has been set at Bravo and higher, meaning there is an increased or predictable threat of terrorism, since 2001, according to the U.S. Army.

Why has the level increased? The increase is not related to a specific threat but in an abundance of caution due to a combination of factors, a spokesperson for the U.S. European Command told WORLD on Monday. The spokesperson for security reasons would not give specifics. Foreign terrorist threats have risen to a new level since Hamas attacked Israel in October, FBI director Christopher Wray said in April. In addition to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine grabbing attention in Europe, It is also election season in France and the United Kingdom, and the Olympics are scheduled to take place in Paris this summer.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the arrest of immigrants in the United States with possible ties to terrorism.