House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) said Monday that the United Kingdom’s apparent willingness to distance itself from Israel poses a risk to intelligence-sharing, as the United States moves bombers out of the country.
Appearing on Fox News Channel’s “America Reports,” Mast was asked about the relocation of U.S. bombers from the U.K. He said he could not say how far in advance the move had been planned, but described it as part of routine threat assessment.
“I can only tell you that we assess threats, we have relationships with intelligence agencies across the globe, from Israelis to Qataris, so that we can develop assets, so that we can find out what’s going on out there and deal with those things,” Mast said. “We have the CIA, who develops assets so that they can know what’s going on in any continent, any region, so that we can make sure that we protect ourselves from these threats.”
Mast argued that drones have significantly changed the threat landscape, and he raised concerns about the U.K.’s awareness of who enters and exits the country compared to U.S. border security.
“That is a problem with the U.K.,” Mast said. “And then again, I think there are some examples of where they’re taking their eye off the ball. When they’re more concerned about cutting ties with Israel, one of their greatest intelligence-sharing assets, instead of working more with them to see what’s going on with Iran, with others throughout the region, I think that’s taking your eye off the ball.”
Mast concluded that the United States’ posture toward Iran remains unchanged.
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