B-2 Stealth Bombers in Diego Garcia Are a Warning to the Houthis and Iran
Diego Garcia will soon receive an exponential increase in U.S. air power with the arrival of the B-2 bomber.
Deep within the British Indian Ocean Territory lies a small island that has been strategically used as a joint American-British military base since the Cold War. Diego Garcia, an island of the Chagos Archipelago, will soon receive an exponential increase in U.S. air power as American B-2 bombers are headed to the Indian Ocean in an effort to thwart Iranian aggression. The transfer of these stealth bombers to the island indicates a major move in the White House’s Indo-Pacific strategy. The Trump administration, via the arrival of stealth bombers, is sending a warning to Iran.
After a brief ceasefire period, a resurgence in violence between American troops and the Yemen-based Houthis continues to escalate. In fact, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has directed a second carrier strike group led by USS Carl Vinson to join USS Harry Truman in the Red Sea to further defend against Houthi barrages. It appears B-2 “Spirit” bombers will be positioned nearby, as recently captured satellite imagery displays at least three C-17 cargo planes and ten aerial refueling tankers deployed to the highly strategic territory.
In response to The War Zone’s questions surrounding the sudden movement of B-2s and related aircraft to the Indo-Pacific, the Air Force Global Strike Command said “U.S. Strategic Command, its components, and subordinate units routinely conduct global operations in coordination with other combatant commands, services, and participating U.S. government agencies to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat strategic attacks against the United States and its allies,” adding that, “To preserve operational security, we do not discuss details about exercises or operations.”
An Overview of the Spirit Platform
The B-2 bomber arguably serves as the U.S. military’s focal air-based leg of its nuclear triad. Capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear weapons, the multirole bomber is unlike any other. The B-2 features low-observable stealth technology that enables it to penetrate even the densest anti-aircraft defenses. Notably, the B-2 can fly intercontinental missions and return without requiring refueling, unlike other strategic bombers. Positioning the B-2s at Diego Garcia will shave off hours of time if the bombers are tasked with striking targets in Iran, Yemen, or the Red Sea.
In addition to the platform’s unmatched stealth, the bomber’s ordnance capacity is next level. The B-2 can carry up to 40,000 pounds of weaponry within two separate weapons bays positioned in the center of the aircraft. Up to sixteen joint direct attack munitions (JDAMs) can be carried by the Spirit according to Air Force Technology. Additionally, Northrop Grumman is converting the Spirit’s bomb rack assembly to a new “smart” configuration, which will greatly increase the total number of JDAMs the aircraft can carry.
There is arguably no greater warning the United States could deliver than positioning B-2 bombers near Iran and its regional proxy groups. If the presence of not one, but two aircraft carriers in the Red Sea does not deter the Houthis from escalation, the shadow of the Spirit should do the trick.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.