The United States has spent decades building a network of air bases, refuelling stops, and overflight agreements across Europe. In the span of 48 hours, two of its closest NATO allies punched holes in that network — and the consequences for Operation Epic Fury are real.

Spain moved first. On March 30, Madrid confirmed it had closed its airspace to all U.S. military aircraft connected to the Iran conflict. The jointly operated bases at Rota and Morón — long used by American bombers, tankers, and transport aircraft — are off-limits for any operations related to the war. Defence Minister Margarita Robles was blunt: “We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran.”

A day later, Italy followed. Rome blocked several U.S. bombers from landing at Sigonella, the sprawling naval air station in eastern Sicily that has served as a hub for American operations in the Mediterranean and Middle East for decades. Italian law requires parliamentary approval for the use of national territory in offensive military operations — and the government decided that Epic Fury qualifies.

The Logistics Problem

This isn’t symbolic. Geography matters in air warfare, and southern Europe sits directly on the routing for U.S. assets flying from bases in the UK and Germany to the Middle East. Spain controls the western Mediterranean approach. Italy controls the eastern Mediterranean. Losing both forces American planners to route aircraft through narrower corridors — likely over the eastern Mediterranean via Greece or Turkey, or on longer Atlantic routings that burn more fuel and tanker capacity.

“We don’t authorize either the use of military bases or the use of airspace for actions related to the war in Iran.” — Margarita Robles, Spain’s Defence Minister

Sigonella, in particular, is a significant loss. The base hosts P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and has served as a forward staging point for operations across North Africa and the Levant. During the 2011 Libya campaign, Sigonella was a critical node. Losing access — even partially — forces the Pentagon to lean harder on facilities in the UK, Bahrain, Qatar, and Diego Garcia.

France, too, has pushed back. Paris blocked aircraft carrying military supplies to Israel from transiting French airspace — the first time France has taken such a step since the conflict began on February 28. The pattern is clear: European capitals are drawing lines between collective NATO defence and what they view as an American war of choice.

Why This Is Different

Disagreements within NATO are nothing new. France withdrew from NATO’s integrated military command in 1966 and didn’t return for 43 years. Turkey has blocked alliance decisions over political disputes. Germany dragged its feet on defence spending for decades. But those were slow-burn tensions. This is allies actively denying operational access to the United States during a shooting war.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called the war “illegal” and “unjust.” Italian media report growing public opposition to any involvement. Even within governments that haven’t blocked access, polling suggests deep unease. The transatlantic consensus that held through Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya is fraying — and the Iran campaign is pulling the threads faster than anyone expected.

President Trump responded with characteristic directness, publicly criticising France, Italy, and Spain for failing to support the operation and suggesting the restrictions could have consequences for the alliance. The rhetoric has not changed the policies.

What It Means for Air Power

For students of military aviation, the lesson is stark. Air power depends on access. The most advanced fighter jets and bombers in the world are useless if they can’t get to the fight — and “getting to the fight” means overflight rights, basing agreements, tanker orbits, and logistics chains that stretch across continents. When allies say no, those chains break.

The U.S. Air Force still has enormous capability. The UK remains fully supportive. Tanker aircraft can extend range. B-2 stealth bombers can fly from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri directly to targets and back without landing. But the kind of sustained, high-tempo air campaign that Epic Fury demands requires bases close to the fight. And the closer bases are, right now, behind closed doors.

This is the geopolitics of air power in 2026 — not just the technology of what flies, but the diplomacy of where it’s allowed to land.

Sources: Defense News, The War Zone, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Newsweek, Euronews