Kenneth_2003 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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fc2112 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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Probably for a foe a bit more to the east.

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That's what I was thinking also. There is also another carrier battle group on the way in addition to the Trumann already operating in the Red Sea area.

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Pretty sure the Trumann is due to come home.

Even before the incident in the Med. She was patched up in Suda Bay Greece and went back to work, but she's up for a significant yard period and updates.

Check Ward Carroll... Deployment length mentioned at 8:50, she could be home by May


IIRC he mentions her upcoming work here as well...

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It was due to come home but got extended. There will be a period of overlap with Truman and Vinson both in centcom, a bit of a tell if we're planning something big

https://news.usni.org/2025/03/21/secdef-hegseth-extends-uss-harry-s-truman-deployment-in-middle-east-carl-vinson-heading-to-centcom

cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

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We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

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There are only 19 operational B-2s...

That's 37% of the fleet.

cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

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We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

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Seeing as how only 21 B-2s were made, that's a neat trick. The 76 are B-52s in inventory but only 50 something are operational with the others in reserve/storage.

fc2112 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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Probably for a foe a bit more to the east.

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Control the oil and control china. Simple really.

Tecolote said:

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cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

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We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

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Seeing as how only 21 B-2s were made, that's a neat trick. The 76 are B-52s in inventory but only 50 something are operational with the others in reserve/storage.

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Very few realize we built 21 airframes. One was the static test article. And AV-12 crashed and burned in Guam. Sad day.

No one more than me wants B-2s flying over Natanz and Isfahan with open bomb bay doors.

For MONTHS I have been sending Twitter messages to every US and Israeli official I can connect with for the USA to loan Israel 6 B-2 Spirits so that there are no American air crew at risk while eliminating Iran's nuclear program.

but these are fragments of reports that a bomber is landing at Hickam, and other Twitter pages who many times post sensational information which later turns out to be not true.

there have been B-52 flights over CENTCOM for months now.

I will be ecstatic if we finally stop talking and start acting-

but I will only believe it when we see the BDA on camera.

fc2112 said:

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Tecolote said:

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cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

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We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

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Seeing as how only 21 B-2s were made, that's a neat trick. The 76 are B-52s in inventory but only 50 something are operational with the others in reserve/storage.

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Very few realize we built 21 airframes. One was the static test article. And AV-12 crashed and burned in Guam. Sad day.

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Damn, that looks bad. Was the aircrew okay, did they get out? And then there is the fact such an expensive loss.

fc2112 said:

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Tecolote said:

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cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

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We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

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Seeing as how only 21 B-2s were made, that's a neat trick. The 76 are B-52s in inventory but only 50 something are operational with the others in reserve/storage.

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Very few realize we built 21 airframes. One was the static test article. And AV-12 crashed and burned in Guam. Sad day.

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I saw the Air Disasters episode on that.

Hope they've worked out that pitot and AOA sensors issue.

BigRobSA said:

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LMCane said:

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I am calling Fake News

how does this one website know about movements of strategic bombers?!?

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A Signal group message.

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Going straight for the jugular, as usual, I see.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Quote:

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Suda Bay Greece

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Worked with a dude that worked there leading up to GWOT and all he said it was topless beaches and partying 24/7. Who can confirm?

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Can confirm. Flew recce missions out of there.

Satellite Imagery Confirms Stealth Bomber Buildup At America's "Unsinkable Carrier" https://t.co/nWK5kMw6On

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) March 27, 2025

AgNav93 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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We always have either B-52s, B-1s or Stealth bombers there at any one time. It was a down range deployment from Guam where we did Pacific bomber presence.

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Former 43d BMW (Andersen AFB, Guam) and 4300 PBW (Diego) guy here. This is awesome!

AgBQ-00 said:

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We are revitalizing a few WWII island bases. Would imagine this has more to do with China than Yemen. Combine that with our stance against Diego Garcia being handed over to Chinese influence. I see a bulwark against far east aggression being built.

See Tinian as an example:
Tinian revitalized

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Excuse my ignorance, but are the taxiways between runways angled like that so as not to be confused with a runway when landing?

FCBlitz said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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We are revitalizing a few WWII island bases. Would imagine this has more to do with China than Yemen. Combine that with our stance against Diego Garcia being handed over to Chinese influence. I see a bulwark against far east aggression being built.

See Tinian as an example:
Tinian revitalized

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Tinian is an amazing restoration effort. Hell of a base.

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Helluva historic base

I believe they were parking positions. If you look close at the overgrown pics you can see positions that weren't redone

sanangelo said:

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AgNav93 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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We always have either B-52s, B-1s or Stealth bombers there at any one time. It was a down range deployment from Guam where we did Pacific bomber presence.

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Former 43d BMW (Andersen AFB, Guam) and 4300 PBW (Diego) guy here. This is awesome!

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Diego doesn't have a permanent bomber presence anymore.

Not sure when it stopped but I'd say since at least 2021 it's been that way.

CharlieBrown17 said:

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sanangelo said:

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AgNav93 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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We always have either B-52s, B-1s or Stealth bombers there at any one time. It was a down range deployment from Guam where we did Pacific bomber presence.

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Former 43d BMW (Andersen AFB, Guam) and 4300 PBW (Diego) guy here. This is awesome!

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Diego doesn't have a permanent bomber presence anymore.

Not sure when it stopped but I'd say since at least 2021 it's been that way.

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It never had a permanent bomber presence. It was always a TDY and some bomber guys have so much time there they may have believed they PCSed there. During my time there, in the 1980s and 1990s, DIego was usually void of bombers until Saddam kicked the UN weapons inspectors out, usually around Thanksgiving, or Clinton needed Monica bombed off the front pages of the newspapers.

CharlieBrown17 said:

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sanangelo said:

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AgNav93 said:

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DevilD77 said:

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Seems like an extreme amount of firepower just to put down the Houtis.

Massive U.S. bomber buildup continues at Diego Garcia

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We always have either B-52s, B-1s or Stealth bombers there at any one time. It was a down range deployment from Guam where we did Pacific bomber presence.

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Former 43d BMW (Andersen AFB, Guam) and 4300 PBW (Diego) guy here. This is awesome!

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Diego doesn't have a permanent bomber presence anymore.

Not sure when it stopped but I'd say since at least 2021 it's been that way.

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At Andersen AFB, I flew the last bombers off the island in 1990. This is one of them that is now parked in the Darwin (Australia) Air Museum. Note the palm tree on the tail.

Diego Garcia, March 25 2025. 3 (or possibly 7) B-2 Bombers & 9 KC-135. Hardened shelters are essential for the security of US MIL assets. Strategic power display can work to deter enemies, but we must have adequate shelters, especially hardened shelters at Diego, Kadena,… pic.twitter.com/TccJxVXq2r

— IPWC (@IndoPacWatch) March 26, 2025

Look at the satellite images of Midway Atoll and Wake island. Midway looks open for business and Wake looks like construction going on. I doubt the facilities are large enough to support the bombers but certainly large enough for fighters.

Not sure but both airstrips look to be about 10,000 feet, and both airstrips appear to this uneducated eye to be recently resurfaced.

Central Committee said:

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Look at the satellite images of Midway Atoll and Wake island. Midway looks open for business and Wake looks like construction going on. I doubt the facilities are large enough to support the bombers but certainly large enough for fighters.

Not sure but both airstrips look to be about 10,000 feet, and both airstrips appear to this uneducated eye to be recently resurfaced.

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Where are you looking, google earth?

titan said:

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fc2112 said:

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Tecolote said:

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cslifer said:

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lb3 said:

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Seven B2s deployed to Diego Garcia is pretty wild. That's probably half of our operational fleet at this moment. These are strategic assets that aren't required for attacks on Houthis. Is Iran's nuclear program going away soon?

---

We appear to have 76 operational, so in order to have 7 be half the fleet you would be implying that only 18% of the total fleet is mission capable at any given time.

---

Seeing as how only 21 B-2s were made, that's a neat trick. The 76 are B-52s in inventory but only 50 something are operational with the others in reserve/storage.

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Very few realize we built 21 airframes. One was the static test article. And AV-12 crashed and burned in Guam. Sad day.

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Damn, that looks bad. Was the aircrew okay, did they get out? And then there is the fact such an expensive loss.

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The crew ejected and survived.

Also, AV-16 was lost in a crash landing at Whiteman in 2022. While repairable, the AF decided against it due to the cost, and the fact that the B-2s will be the first retired once the B-21 enters service.

This is relevant to this thread also.

Iranian armed forces have urged a preemptive strike on the Diego Garcia military base to prevent its potential use by the United States against the Islamic Republic, a senior Iranian official told telegraph on Monday.
He said military commanders have been directed to target the… pic.twitter.com/Lu0NGgKY96

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 31, 2025

Central Committee said:

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Look at the satellite images of Midway Atoll and Wake island. Midway looks open for business and Wake looks like construction going on. I doubt the facilities are large enough to support the bombers but certainly large enough for fighters.

Not sure but both airstrips look to be about 10,000 feet, and both airstrips appear to this uneducated eye to be recently resurfaced.

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Not much on Midway but birds. It's an emergency divert field. Wake has some military personnel on it, and it's in use as a refueling stop. Neither would be particularly useful to fighters or bombers beyond that in my opinion.

NBC News is reporting that the Pentagon has ordered the relocation of at least 2 U.S. Army MIM-104 “Patriot” surface-to-air missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system from Asia to the Middle East in the past few days,… pic.twitter.com/GbvW88KLPW

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 2, 2025

More Patriots and THAAD moved from Asia to the Middle East, in addition to at least six B-2's on DG

Better to have our assets where we may need them.