US Sends 6 Nuclear Bombers Near RI, What’s Up?

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United States (US) plans to deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to an airbase in northern Australia.

According to reports Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) on Monday (31/10/2022), citing US documents, a special facility for bombers will be set up at the remote Tindal base of the Royal Australian Air Force, about 300 km south of Darwin, the capital of Northern Territory Australia.

“The United States has developed detailed plans for what it calls ‘squadron operations facilities’ for use during the dry season in the Northern Territory, an adjoining maintenance center, and a parking area for B-52s,” the report said. A B C quoted Reuters.

The US Air Force said in the report that the ability to deploy long-range bombers to Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about Washington’s ability to project lethal air power.

Australia’s Northern Territory has hosted frequent military collaborations with the US. Thousands of US Marines rotate through the region every year for training and joint exercises, first started under President Barack Obama.

Earlier this year, the US deployed four B-52s to an Andersen Air Force base in the Guam region.

Last year, the US, UK and Australia struck a security deal that would have provided Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. This formation immediately angered China.

“Putting B-52s in Australia, which can reach and potentially strike mainland China, would be a wake-up call to Beijing, as fears grow of an attack on Taiwan,” said Becca Wasser, senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security. DC

[Gambas:Video CNBC]