RTÉ News (following a Freedom of Information request to the US Department of Defence), has obtained documents that apparently show the US offered to stop using Shannon in 2007 (following protests at the airport) but were told by the then government that this would send out the “wrong signal” – namely that anti-war-activists had won.
The documents released show that the head of the US Military Transport Command (USTRANSCOM) said the previous Irish Government did not want them to stop using Shannon Airport following a spate of attacks on US aircraft there.
Speaking in 2007, General John W. Handy, said they were told the Irish Government was afraid that if they withdrew from Shannon following the attacks, it would send out a signal that the protestors had won and the Irish State did not want that.
He acknowledged that USTRANSCOM need the use of Shannon and they did not want to have a group of protestors run them out of Ireland.
However, if the Government had asked them to quit, they would have.
2m Soldiers Flew Through Shannion Since 2001 (RTE News)