It's typical of the tiered secret society that we live in. Those that see themselves in the top-tier consider it their right, duty even, to keep everything a secret from the plebs. That's how they justified the Covid-cover-up - in fact it's become the standard auto-response to just about everything.

There is way too much secrecy/lying going on in the (public funded) upper echelons. Almost none of it is for our benefit (though we're invariably told it is to keep us safe) - it's always to protect the orgs that manage the established order.

As you point out, if a top airbase is closed down, that's significant, & there's obviously a reason why. There are only really two possibilites:

1. They genuinely don't know what's going on (though know something is happening)

2. There is an actual threat

Either way, it's a problem that the public deserves to be informed about. If they're not, it only invites conjecture. It seems that howling anyone down asking questions as a conspiracy theorist (which worked incredibly well during Covid) is starting to wear thin.