Multiple U.S. military transport aircraft are assembling in the UK! Are they preparing to take action against Greenland and Iran?

Since the U.S. military recently deployed special forces to capture Venezuelan President Maduro, the movement of U.S. troops has suddenly drawn attention from some military media outlets. In recent days, many media organizations have started to focus on reporting the news of U.S. military aircraft gathering in the United Kingdom.

According to reports from the U.S. theater website, from January 2 to 4, more than 10 C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft departed from the continental United States and landed at the Royal Air Force Base Fairford in the UK. Among them, four C-17s originated from the Campbell Army Airfield, which is the home of the renowned 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

Additionally, there have been reports claiming the presence of - and - helicopters, as well as - rotorcraft from the Special Operations Aviation Regiment at RAF Fairford. These are aircraft specifically designed for special operations and are the same models used during the recent military incursion into Venezuela.

There is a flurry of speculation online: The purpose of the U.S. military's assembly remains a mystery.

For a moment, the online space was filled with tension and alarm. Given the Trump administration's repeated claims that the United States intended to annex Greenland, and even considered using military means to seize it, many believed that the U.S. military was preparing to take action against Denmark—perhaps even sending troops to capture the Danish king!

Of course, given that the idea of the U.S. military targeting Denmark sounds too far-fetched, some have speculated that the United States is preparing to take action against Iran, aiming to assassinate or even capture Iranian leader Khamenei or other high-ranking officials.

Some have even let their imaginations run wild, speculating whether Trump might target the UK and bring British Prime Minister Starmer back to the United States?

U.S. Military Aircraft Gather in the UK: The News Is True, but Details Are Misinterpreted

First, the news that U.S. military transport aircraft are assembling in the UK is indeed true.

On the [Month] [Day], a U.S. military C-17 transport aircraft (Boeing passenger-cargo variant) took off from Pope Air Force Base in Spain and landed at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom.

On the [Month] [Day], a U.S. military - maritime patrol aircraft took off from the Sigonella Air Base in Italy and landed at the RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. On the same day, a - rotorcraft departed from RAF Mildenhall, transported cargo to RAF Fairford, and then returned.

On the month and day, multiple C-17 transport aircraft successively arrived at the Royal Air Force Fairford base in the UK, including one from the Pope Air Force Base in Spain, one from the Campbell Army Airfield, and one from the Hunter Army Airfield.

On the day of the month, two more U.S. military aircraft, including two - tankers and one - attack aircraft, landed at Middenhall Air Base. Among the - transport aircraft that landed at Fairford Air Base the previous day, one took off on the day for Ramstein Air Base in Germany—the very one that had flown from the continental United States.

Upon reading this, the editor can immediately draw one conclusion: these reports are all written by those with only a superficial understanding of the U.S. military's special operations forces. What does it mean that 4 C-17s are from the home base of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment? Hunter Army Airfield is also the home base of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment!

That is to say, apart from the C-17 that took off from the Spanish Air Force Base in Pobla, the other 6 C-17s all originated from the home base of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

The issue, however, is that even a force as dominant as the U.S. military cannot allocate two airports exclusively for the regiment's use. These two airports serve not only as the regiment's base but also host other units of the U.S. Army Air Forces.

For example, Fort Campbell Army Airfield not only hosts the regimental headquarters and battalions, but also accommodates the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, including the brigade headquarters, battalions, the squadron of the 17th Cavalry Regiment, and the 6th Battalion of the 101st Aviation Regiment. In terms of organizational structure, the latter has a significantly larger personnel count than the regiment.

The situation at Hunter Army Airfield is quite similar. In addition to housing regimental and battalion units, it also hosts Ranger regimental and battalion units, the Combat Aviation Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, as well as several aviation units from the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and even the Coast Guard.

Moreover, there is no photographic or video evidence to support the claim that MH-47 and MH-60 helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment appeared at the so-called RAF Fairford. In other words, the C-17s that took off from Campbell Army Airfield and Hunter Army Airfield could have been carrying any of the aforementioned units.

However, based on various signs, although there is no evidence, the editor believes that these aircraft are highly likely to be equipped with the 1st Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Why do I dare to say that? Let's hold that thought for now.

Three speculations were examined one by one: none of them are reasonable.

Regarding the unusual movements of these US military transport aircraft, there are various speculations online. Obviously, whether it's capturing the British Prime Minister or the Danish King, both are extremely far-fetched ideas. Netizens generally believe that the US military likely has three potential targets: Greenland, Iran, and the oil tanker Marinella.

Let's start with Greenland.

Greenland, though nominally part of the Kingdom of Denmark, enjoys a special status as an autonomous country, with a population of less than 60,000, essentially making it a country within a country. In 1985, Greenland withdrew from the European Community, the predecessor of the European Union, and thus is not part of the EU, although Denmark is a member of the European Union.

Denmark has little interest in governing Greenland and does not oppose its independence. However, if Greenland were to declare independence, it would lose the financial grants from the Danish government, which account for two-thirds of Greenland's government budget, thereby adversely affecting its economic situation. Consequently, Greenland has refrained from declaring independence for a long time.

A survey from last year showed that % of Greenlanders support independence, but the majority are unwilling to become Americans.

In 2019, when Trump first became President of the United States, he had people investigate whether Greenland could be purchased. In 2024, after Trump took office again, he quickly proposed that the United States should possess Greenland. Clearly, this is one of the manifestations of the Trump administration's Monroe Doctrine: although Greenland belongs to Denmark, geographically it is part of the Americas.

However, although Denmark does not oppose Greenland's independence, the Greenlanders have little interest in becoming Americans, with the vast majority opposing annexation by the United States. Coupled with unanimous opposition from various European countries, Trump's idea of annexing Greenland has never been realized.

Key point: Greenland geographically belongs to the Americas. The mainland United States is much closer to Greenland than the United Kingdom is to Greenland, not to mention that the United States already has military bases on Greenland. If the United States wants to send troops to annex Greenland, why would it go to the United Kingdom?

As for carrying out decapitation strikes against Iran, that is actually not a reliable approach.

Although Iran's performance in recent years has been quite disappointing, being infiltrated by the United States and Israel like a sieve, the possibility of U.S. Special Forces conducting black operations deep within Iranian territory, as they might in Venezuela, is very slim. Iran's military strength is much greater than that of Venezuela, and its core cities are located inland, far from the borders, making it impossible for the United States to send helicopters blatantly deep into Iranian airspace.

Moreover, geographically speaking, this itinerary doesn’t add up at all. If the United States were to send special forces to strike Iran, wouldn’t it make more sense to land in Israel or Turkey? Why would they fly to the UK and Germany?

Finally, the war zone website also raised a possibility: the target of the U.S. military operation might actually be the oil tanker Marinella, which was sailing in the waters near the UK. The vessel flies the Russian flag but is actually owned by Venezuela and is considered one of the ships used by Venezuela to transport oil to Russia.

Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. military has intercepted and tracked multiple oil tankers departing from Venezuela at sea. However, this task can be easily accomplished by just a single warship and a few sailors, without the need to deploy any elite forces. Sending a regiment to transport special forces for such a simple interception mission is unprecedented.

Therefore, the editor believes that these goals are all too speculative and elusive.

The Truth Revealed: Participating in NATO's Routine Military Exercises

So what exactly is the purpose of these U.S. military deployments?

The answer might actually be quite simple: it is to participate in the NATO Steadfast Dart-2026 military exercise.

On January 2, NATO conducted the Steadfast Dart-2026 military exercise, with the location set in Germany and the Baltic Sea. The specific details of the exercise have not yet been officially announced, but referencing last year's Steadfast Dart-2025, this drill aims to test the response speed of NATO forces during peacetime. Steadfast Dart has now become a routine January exercise activity for NATO forces and is clearly targeted at Russia as a hypothetical adversary, having no connection whatsoever to Greenland or Iran.

It is important to understand that, as a globally deployed military, the mobilization of troops by the U.S. military worldwide is a very routine matter. Unless it involves actions like deploying hundreds of fighter jets and dozens of transport aircraft to deliver a large number of troops before taking action against Venezuela, the movement of a few aircraft—in the past, such incidents would hardly have been worth mentioning. If it weren't for the U.S. military's potential use of force against Venezuela, it is unlikely that anyone would have paid attention to where this transport aircraft was headed.

As for why the editor believes that the troops transported by this C-17 indeed include the 160th Regiment, the reason is quite simple. On March 1st, the 160th Regiment held a recruitment event in Wiesbaden, Germany, which lasted until March 3rd. The event included opportunities to tour various special operations helicopters of the regiment. Clearly, the personnel and helicopters involved in this recruitment and tour activity were most likely transported by these C-17s.

Therefore, from any perspective, the deployment of these U.S. military transport aircraft holds no particular significance—it is merely routine for the U.S. military.