The Pentagon's brief statement did not specify which
aircraft were being deployed or where precisely they were sent.
However, as many as six B-2 bombers have relocated in the
past week or so to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of
Diego Garcia.
Experts say that the B-2s, which have stealth technology and
are equipped to carry the heaviest US bombs and nuclear weapons, in an ideal
position to operate in the Middle East.
"Should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel
and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to
defend our people," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a
statement.
The US military's Strategic Command has declined to say how
many B-2s have reached Diego Garcia and noted that it does not comment on
exercises or operations involving the B-2.
There is already considerable firepower in the Middle East
and the US military will soon have two aircraft carriers in the region.
US President Donald Trump threatened Iran on Sundaywith
bombing and secondary tariffs if Tehran did not come to an agreement with
Washington over its nuclear program.
While B-2 bombers have been employed to strike buried Houthi
targets in Yemen, most experts say use of the stealthy bomber is overkill there
and the targets aren't buried so deeply.
However, the B-2 is equipped to carry America's most potent
bomb, the 30,000 pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. That is the weapon
that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program.
There are only 20 B-2 bombers in the Air Force's inventory
so they are usually used sparingly.
One official told Reuters that the US military was also
moving some air defense capabilities from Asia to the Middle East.
No comments:
Post a Comment