WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Central Command has announced a multi-day readiness exercise by U.S. forces 'to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower' across the Middle East.
This exercise is designed to enhance asset and personnel dispersal capability, strengthen regional partnerships and prepare for flexible response execution throughout the U.S. Central Command region, CENTCOM said in a statement.
It will serve as a way for AFCENT (Air Forces Central) to validate procedures for rapid movement of personnel and aircraft; dispersed operations at contingency locations; logistics sustainment with a minimal footprint; and integrated, multi-national command and control over a large area of operations, it added.
The announcement comes within days after President Donald Trump warned of a military attack against the Iranian regime in apparent response to weeks-long deadly crackdown on a series of anti-government protests in the country.
As part of an 'armada' heading towards Iran, the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group has already arrived in the region. USS Abraham Lincoln is a mammoth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
'Our Airmen are proving they can disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions - safely, precisely and alongside our partners,' said Lt. Gen. Derek France, AFCENT commander and Combined Forces Air Component commander for CENTCOM. 'This is about upholding our commitment to maintaining combat-ready Airmen and the disciplined execution required to keep airpower available when and where it's needed.'
During the training event, U.S. forces will deploy teams to multiple contingency locations and validate rapid set-up, launch and recovery procedures with small, efficient support packages. AFCENT will conduct all activities with host-nation approval and in close coordination with civil and military aviation authorities, emphasizing safety, precision and respect for sovereignty, the CENTCOM press release says, without specifying from which country the U.S. forces are planning to launch military exercises.
'By continually practicing tactics, techniques and procedures in a rapidly evolving air domain, the U.S. Air Force underscores its commitment to regional defense and security alongside partner nations. This exercise reinforces peace through strength by fielding a credible, combat-ready, and responsible presence designed to deter aggression, reduce the risk of miscalculation and assure partners,' it added.
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