Overview
- US Central Command confirms additional F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter jets and KC-46A Pegasus and KC-135 tankers are deploying to bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and the Eastern Mediterranean
- The USS Nimitz carrier strike group is en route from the Western Pacific to join the USS Carl Vinson in projecting naval power across the Gulf region
- US military has repositioned aircraft and ships from exposed bases in Bahrain and at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar to more secure locations to reduce vulnerability
- B-2 Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress bombers are building up at Diego Garcia, establishing a deep-strike capability with bunker-busting munitions
- Iran has warned it will respond firmly if the US becomes directly involved in Israel’s campaign against Iranian targets