Pentagon: B-52 bombers in the area

According to Vana, CENTCOM posted on the social media platform X that B-52 Stratofortress bombers from the 5th Bomb Wing of Minot Air Force Base have arrived in the Central Command area of responsibility.Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder announced in a statement on Friday night that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered the deployment of additional forces to bolster U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East, in order to increase America’s military presence in the region.Ryder noted that a U.S. Navy strike group, including an aircraft carrier and several ships and destroyers, is preparing to leave the Middle East. He stated that the Pentagon intends to maintain U.S. military presence in the region by sending more bombers, fighter jets, and warships to ensure that after the departure of the strike group, Washington’s military presence in the region does not diminish.Ryder also mentioned that Austin had ordered the deployment of several B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers, a squadron of fighter jets, refueling aircraft, and U.S. Navy destroyers to the Middle East. He added that the arrival of new U.S. military assets in the region will begin in the coming months, coinciding with the departure of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group as they return to the United States.Ryder described these troop movements and military asset relocations as a demonstration of the U.S.’s ability to rapidly deploy forces worldwide, emphasizing that if the personnel, military assets, or interests of the U.S. are threatened in the region, Washington will take all necessary actions to defend its forces and assets.According to the Associated Press, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group of three U.S. Navy destroyers are expected to leave the Middle East by mid-month and return to their homeport in San Diego