B-52 Bombers Deployed in 'Clear and Unmistakable' Message to Iran
The Defense Department is deploying four B-52 bombers to the Middle East to counter what the Pentagon has described as threats of possible attacks against U.S. troops in the region.
Two of B-52s were expected to leave Tuesday from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana en route to al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, CBS News reported.
A Defense Department official told CBS News earlier this week the U.S. has detected “preparations for possible attack.”
“There is more than one avenue of attack or possible attack that we’re tracking,” the official said.
U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a statement Sunday the deployment of the bomber task force along with the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea, to the Central Command region was in response to “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.”
Bolton said their presence will “send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.”
Statement from the National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton
In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings, the United States is deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strik / Photo by William Moon pic.twitter.com/sAtIZ1GpRO— White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) May 6, 2019
“The United States is not seeking war with the Iranian regime, but we are fully prepared to respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces,” the national security adviser said.
B-52s are capable of carrying 70,000 pounds of bombs, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
US Strategic Command tweeted video of the aircraft in action at Barksdale AFB, noting the bombers can carry both nuclear and convention ordinance.
The #B52, a long-range, heavy bomber, is capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. It can carry nuclear or conventional ordnance w/ worldwide precision navigation capability. #B52uesday #DeterrenceTuesdays
Cool video @AirmanMagazine! pic.twitter.com/Vr3T0LodSM— US Strategic Command (@US_Stratcom) May 7, 2019
The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group already was scheduled to deploy to the Persian Gulf region but is being rushed in earlier than expected.
“The aircraft carrier, with a wing of warplanes and 3,000 sailors aboard, is accompanied by the USS Leyte Gulf, a guided-missile cruiser, and four destroyers, the USS Bainbridge, Gonzalez, Mason and Nitze,” USA Today reported.
Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement, “U.S. Central Command continues to track a number of credible threat streams emanating from the regime in Iran throughout the CENTCOM area of responsibility.”
CNN reported that intelligence showing Iran is “likely moving short-range ballistic missiles aboard boats in the Persian Gulf was one of the critical reasons” for the deployment of the B-52s and the accelerated movement of the carrier strike group.
“The Pentagon currently believes Iran’s actions could put US and coalition forces at risk in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar,” according to the news outlet. “US military and intelligence officials are monitoring the movement of the Iranian missiles around the clock but have yet to see a pullback.”
Last month, President Donald Trump designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
Trump noted the move marked the first time the U.S. has ever given that designation to part of a foreign government.
CORRECTION, May 8, 2019: This article was originally published under the headline “B-52 Bombers Scrambled in ‘Clear and Unmistakable’ Message to Iran.” That was inaccurate, as “scrambling” in military parlance means to “order or get into the air quickly,” usually in response to an immediate threat. We have changed “Scrambled” to “Deployed” in the headline to more accurately describe the nature of the combat readiness move, only half of which was apparently taken on the day of the announcement.
We apologize for any confusion we may have caused.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
