US SENDS B-2 BOMBERS TO INDIAN OCEAN AS CHINA SETS WAR GAMES

The United States sent B-2 stealth bombers to its naval base in Diego Garcia as China prepared to hold war games near Taiwan, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported late on Thursday, August 13, 2020.

China is set to hold naval maneuvers in the waters off the Zhoushan Islands on August 16 and 17, the country's Maritime Safety Administration announced.

The US B-2 stealth bombers arrived at the Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia located in the Indian Ocean after a 29-hour flight "to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific" from the headquarters of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

"We are excited to return to this important location. [Diego Garcia] puts the 'INDO' in INDOPACOM," the Pacific Air Forces quoted Lt. Col. Christopher Conant, Bombwr Task Force (BTF) commander, as saying, "This BTF is our National Defence Strategy in action. We are sharpening our lethality while strengthening relationships with key allies, partners, and our sister-service teammates. Despite a global pandemic, the Airmen of Whiteman Air Force Base and Air Force Global Strike Command stand ready to support INDOPACOM and the Department of Defence in achieving our nation’s strategic objectives."