The United States has deployed six B-2 bombers, a C-17 military transport aircraft and several refueling tankers to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia to maintain operational readiness and ensure protection of strategic assets.
The bombers, about one-third of the U.S. Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet, and other aircraft are stationed at the joint United Kingdom-U.S. base on Diego Garcia that includes a U.S. Navy Support Facility. The moves enhance defensive capabilities and deterrence by accelerating rapid deployment, power projection and logistical support across the Indo-Pacific and other theaters, officials said.
“The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security … and are prepared to respond to any state or nonstate actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region,” U.S. Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell said in April 2025.
The U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute describes Diego Garcia as “a military base with a deep-water port capable of berthing aircraft carriers, a long runway that enables deep-strike operations and accommodates heavy bombers and refueling aircraft, advanced satellite communication facilities essential for real-time command and control, and strategically pre-positioned military support and supplies — making it a key node for logistics, surveillance, intelligence, and strategic deterrence for the United States.”
The B-2s can carry 13,600-kilogram bombs, known as massive ordnance penetrators, designed to destroy hardened and underground targets, analysts note.
IMAGE CREDIT: TECH. SGT. HEATHER SALAZAR/U.S. AIR FORCE
The region has become increasingly tense, including with Houthi attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea, a vital global trade route. In mid-March 2025, after Houthis threatened U.S. Navy ships and U.S. ally Israel, the U.S. launched Operation Rough Rider, with airstrikes so far hitting more than 800 targets, including oil refineries, airports and missile locations.
In late April, the U.K. joined the U.S. to launch airstrikes against “a cluster of buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” the U.K. Defence Ministry said.
“This action was taken in response to a persistent threat from the Houthis to freedom of navigation,” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said. “A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fueling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the U.K.
“The U.S. continues to be the U.K.’s closest security ally,” Healey said, according to The Guardian newspaper. “They’re stepping up in the Red Sea. We are alongside them.”
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets launched the mission from the U.K. airbase in Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, according to the BBC. The U.S. airstrikes in Yemen are coordinated from two aircraft carriers deployed to the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
Diego Garcia historically has served as a launchpad for U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Deploying additional assets to the joint base illustrates the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding U.S. interests and supporting Allies and Partners throughout the Indo-Pacific.
