US B-2 Bombers' Deployment to Diego Garcia: A Major Show of Force in the Middle East

According to a report on March 25, after dispatching the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East, several US B-2 strategic bombers also flew to Diego Garcia Air Base in the Indian Ocean, which is a rare move.

Earlier on the 25th, in the public audio, the conversations between the crews of two B-2 bombers (callsigns Pitch 11 and Pitch 14) and Australian air traffic controllers could be heard. The crew of the Pitch 11 bomber also confirmed the existence of a third bomber. These three bombers were refueling over Australia and flying westward. Another source reported that a fourth B-2 bomber (callsign Pitch 13) declared an emergency during a flight on the 24th and then landed at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

Air traffic control records showed that on the 25th, several other B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri using the callsign Abba and flew to Diego Garcia. In addition, the online flight tracking data system indicated that since last week, a large number of C-17 transport aircraft and tankers have been deployed to Diego Garcia Air Base, Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, and Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

It was reported that the scale of forces observed at Diego Garcia so far far exceeds the regular deployment scale of the US bomber task force in recent years. Different from US military bases in the Middle East or aircraft carriers deployed in the region, Diego Garcia Island is basically out of the range of the existing missiles and drones of the Houthi rebels or Iran. Deploying more than four B-2 bombers at Diego Garcia is another major show of force targeting the Middle East.

It was also mentioned that B-2 bombers have unique combat capabilities. In particular, they can penetrate dense air - defense systems and conduct "bunker - busting" strikes using the 30,000 - pound - class GBU - 57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). In October 2024, the US military dispatched B-2 bombers to strike the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

On the 23rd, the US President's National Security Advisor stated that the United States seeks to "completely destroy" Iran's nuclear program in a way that "the whole world can see".