According to Lisbon commentators, due to the sudden increase in the presence of US troops, fighters and other military machines, the Lajes military base on the Azorean island of Terceira is expected to be used for a military operation.
How many military planes were sent to the Azores?
How long have American troops been in Portugal?
When did a US operation similar to the current one take place?
How many American troops arrived on Terceira?
Actions similar to June 2025
— This increased presence of American aircraft, including aircraft refueling machines, transport aircraft and fighters at the Lajes base is reminiscent of a similar US operation from June 2025, when the United States attacked Iran's nuclear facilities – SIC assessed the situation.
According to SIC information, from Tuesday to Wednesday, ten Boeing KPC-46 refueling and transport aircraft, four F-16 fighters of the South Carolina National Guard, as well as a Boeing C-17 for transporting large military cargo arrived on the Azores island of Terceira. According to SIC, one of the American army's machines is inoperable due to a failure.
In turn, the Lusa news agency, which noted that about 400 soldiers have also arrived in Terceira in recent days, i.e. the same number as in June last year, claims that there are more US aircraft at the Portuguese Lajes base.
According to Lusa's findings, on Wednesday afternoon there were at least 11 KPC-46 refueling planes, 12 F-16 fighters and one C-17 transport plane on the Azorean island.
American troops have been stationed on Portuguese territory continuously since 1944, when, thanks to the British using the Lajes military base, they appeared on the Azorean island of Terceira in the last months of World War II.
In 1949, the strategic location of the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean and the American troops stationed there turned out to be one of the main arguments for inviting Portugal to co-create NATO.
The current presence of US troops on the island of Terceira is regulated by the US-Portuguese agreement of 1995, which provides that the US Air Force may use the Lajes military base for purposes related to the operation of the North Atlantic Alliance.
According to local media estimates, 165 American soldiers supported by 400 Portuguese employees of the Lajes base have been stationed in Terceira so far.
