page_title: List of Royal Air Force stations
section_title: RAF stations operated by the United States Visiting Forces
hierarchical_section_title: List of Royal Air Force stations / RAF stations operated by the United States Visiting Forces
caption_attribution_description: RAF Mildenhall, 17th July 2013
context_page_description: This list of RAF Stations is a list of all current Royal Air Force stations, airfields, and administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force. Also included are airfields operated by the Ministry of Defence but no longer considered as RAF stations, MOD air weapons ranges and stations operated by the US Visiting Forces.
context_section_description: At the invitation of the UK Government, the United States has had military forces (US Visiting Forces) permanently stationed in the UK since the Second World War. The 1951 NATO Status of Forces Agreement and the Visiting Forces Act 1952, along with other bilateral acts, establishes the legal status of the USVF in the UK. Several military sites within England are made available for the USVF's purposes. An RAF commander is present at the main USVF sites and is normally of the rank of squadron leader, whereas a US colonel will normally command US personnel at each station. The role of the RAF commander is to liaise with the US base commander and act as head of establishment for Ministry of Defence employees. The use of UK bases for combat operations by the United States is a joint decision by both governments.
  The United States Air Force (USAF) 501st Combat Support Wing manages and supports operations at RAF Alconbury, RAF Croughton, RAF Fairford, RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Molesworth and RAF Welford.
  In January 2017 the US Department of Defence announced through their European Infrastructure Consolidation programme that they would be withdrawing from RAF Mildenhall, and activities at RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth would be moved to RAF Croughton. In April 2017 it was reported by the US European Command was reviewing the decision to close these stations.
caption: A United States Air Force CV-22B Osprey at RAF Mildenhall.
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