Two US B-52 bombers arrived in Indonesia on Monday, marking the first time the nuclear-capable aircraft landed in the Southeast Asian nation as the US is looking to beef up its military presence in the region to prepare for a future war with China.
The bombers are participating in Cope West, a joint military exercise being held from June 12-23 that involves US and Indonesian pilots training together.
“This specific deployment of the B-52s to Indonesia highlights the importance of working with our allies, partners, and other US joint military units as we bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific,” a US Pacific Air Forces spokesman told Air & Space Forces Magazine.
While the US and Indonesia have military ties, Jakarta wants to remain neutral between Washington and Beijing and has resisted pressure to allow the US military to establish bases on its territory.
Indonesia has also spoken out against some of the US’s military efforts in the region, including AUKUS, the trilateral military pact between the US, Australia, and Britain that will eventually arm Canberra with nuclear-powered submarines.
The presence of US B-52 bombers in the region could become more common as part of Washington and Canberra’s plans to increase military ties involves basing six of the aircraft in Australia. According to Australia’s ABC News, the US will build facilities for the bombers near the city of Darwin that are expected to be completed by 2026.
With the level of activity that is going on, I cannot help but wonder if we are headed for another WORLD WAR?…
“”we bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific”” said a US Pacific Air Forces spokesman as the US is looking to beef up its military presence in the region to prepare for a future war with China.
right. as long as you do what we say then you will be fine
Speaking of grandiosity and hubris, including “Indo” with the Pacific is a good example.
I would not call Indonesia as completely “neutral” in regards to China.
from Benwar news:
Indonesia is moving the first planned military exercise with other Southeast Asian nations away from disputed South China Sea waters where Beijing has increasingly been asserting its sweeping territorial claims.
The Indonesian military announced Wednesday a change of location for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations exercise, scheduled for Sept. 18-25. The non-combat drills were originally planned to take place in the North Natuna Sea, which lies within Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but parts of which China claims.
Indonesia is this year’s holder of the rotating ASEAN chairmanship.https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/asean-drill-location-changed-06212023112917.html
They sound more like a nation extremely worried about China’s expansionist desires but someone who really doesn’t want to piss off China too much.
It’s only a matter of time and Indonesia will join either BRICS or SCO as so many other countries are doing. It’s in their economic interests. See previous comment.
Sure they may join as are quite a few other nations want to do invarious capacities ( there at least a dozen who have expressed interest in affiliating themselves with BRICS) but that does not mean they will reverse themselves on China’s expansionist desires.
India is a full member and where is their leader today?
June they are here and in August they’ll be in Duban glad handing there too.
You don’t seem to understand what BRICS and SCO mean. They are a Chinese initiative but has nothing to do with Chinese “expansion” or “domination” in the Anglo Saxon colonial way way of thinking. That’s the attraction for many and especially ex colonial countries in Africa and South America. They respect each other’s sovereignty. So far eighty three countries have applied for membership. Have you seen how busy it was this months at the SPIEF in St Petersburg? It was China who brought the two arch enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia together. Included Syria back in the Arab League which ended the war in Yemen. There are tectonic changes taking place in the world an more, much more is to come, such as the dedollarization and countries trading in their own currencies backed by gold.
Yes I know what BRICS is. In fact I’ve posted here many times about the upcoming meeting in Durban and that they appear to be announcing a basket of digital currencies as a competitor to the dollar.
I’ve also posted about the other countries that have announced their want to join.
Do not assume I have not been boring this site with my almost weekly post about BRICS and I do not know not only about that badket but I’ve also posted about the digital ruble that was just rolled out which seems to be a precursor/trial run to prepare Russia’s part of that basket.
Sorry, if I unintentionally have offended you. Pleased to learn you have kept up with the changes taking place in the world today.
No one can offend me in that manner so don’t worry.
The meeting in Durban is going to be interesting as heck especially is all the talk about a digital basket of currencies as a competitor to the dollar happens.
Add into that all the clamoring of various nations wanting to join (Mexico is one) who are part of our own economic bloc, this is really getting interesting.
War kills people but the disruptions it causes to economies/trends is always interesting too and this one aspect, a BRICS digital currency if it happens will be biggie.
I think everyone knows that B-52s are nuke-capable, inasmuch as they have been one of our legs of our nuclear Triad since their development in the 50s.
B52s are a easy target now , they can no longer bomb willy nilly .
‘Nuclear-capable B-52’s’
Give me a break.
Every, single combat aircraft is ‘nuclear-capable’.
B-52’s are lumbering whales.
They are nothing but bomb trucks, imo.
Preparing for another war, another pretext for endless,endless war The world is becoming more and more multi polar by the day, turning away from American domination and bullying. The dedollarization is in full swing, countries dealing with each other in their own currencies, backed by gold. For how much longer can this US roque state make the world unsafe?
Spot on the world at large has had enough of the yanks and their for ever wars , the faster the Dollar is tossed into the trash the better for the people of planet Earth .
B52 bombers are not so safe any more the Russians / Chinese have missiles that can shoot them down at will , unlike in Vietnam , Iraq , Afghanistan ect where they could bomb with impunity .