Security risks at several forthcoming major events in Europe, such as the Paris Olympics and the European football championship, have prompted the U.S. military bases in the region to raise their alert level, Sabrina Singh, the Department of Defense’s deputy press secretary, announced at a Pentagon briefing Monday.
Singh did not specify the new alert level adopted. Still, according to a CBS News report Tuesday, a U.S. European Command statement announced that the security advisory was raised to the second-highest level, “FPCON Charlie.”
“U.S. European Command is taking steps to increase vigilance for our service members, their families and our facilities,” Singh said. The decision on the heightened alert came “out of an abundance of caution,” she added.
The FPCON or Force Protection Condition levels for U.S. bases’ security alerts in Europe are rated from Normal, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, with the levels increasing from the lowest, Normal, to Delta, the most protective, according to the U.S. Army’s website.
The Charlie level applies following an incident or intelligence report that indicates some terrorist actions are likely against personnel or facilities.
