US is sending B-52 bombers to Indian Ocean island amid rising tensions in the Middle East
The U.S. Air Force is deploying six B-52 Stratofortress bombers to Diego Garcia, an island base in the Indian Ocean, amid the rising threat from Iran after the U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian general.
The Cold War-era bomber will be “available for operations against Iran if ordered” CNN reported citing a U.S. official. However, it clarified that the deployment does not indicate that operations have been ordered.
Diego Garcia’s location makes it the most important U.S. base in the Indian Ocean region. Its strategic location allows U.S. military strength into East Africa, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.
The B-52, which first entered service in the 1950s, has served as the icon of the United States’ Cold War deterrent as the primary strategic nuclear bomber. It can carry nuclear or precision-guided conventional ammunition as well as conventional bombs. It can perform strategic attack, offensive counter-air and maritime operations and is also effective for ocean surveillance.
The deployment of B-52 bombers coincided with two important announcements: dispatching of nearly 3,000 additional troops to the Mideast and a massive stealth fighter jet exercise.
In a huge show of strength amid rising tensions with Iran, the U.S. Air Force conducted a Combat Power Exercise with 52 fully-armed F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters on January 6. The F-35A aircraft took off in quick succession from the Hill Air Force Base in Utah in a single wave from. The exercise was carried out by the active-duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings, which said it showed the Air Force’s ability to deploy a large force of the F-35As.
President Donald Trump has warned Iran that if it retaliates over Soleimani’s death, it will face U.S. attacks on 52 targets, a number he said was symbolic. Fifty-two is the number of American diplomats and civilians seized by Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis.
