U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is conducting an airpower exercise in the Middle East amid ongoing tensions with Iran.
The exercise is intended to strengthen U.S. capability and strengthen regional partnerships while also serving as preparation for “flexible response execution,” CENTCOM explained. “It will serve as a way for AFCENT 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.”
“Our Airmen are proving they can disperse, operate, and generate combat sorties under demanding conditions—safely, precisely and alongside our partners,” Lt. Gen. Derek France, AFCENT commander and Combined Forces Air Component commander for CENTCOM, said in a statement. “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.”
The exercises come as President Trump said Iran has sought to negotiate a deal with the United States as the nation strengthens its posture in the region. Trump previously warned Iran that he would eliminate the country if it followed through on any of its threats to assassinate him. Speaking to News Nation’s Katie Pavlich, President Trump said, “Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up. I would absolutely hit them so hard. But I have very firm instructions.”
“A president has to defend a president,” he said. “Like, if I were here, and they were making that threat to somebody even, not even a president, but somebody, like they did with me, I would absolutely hit them so hard.” President Trump reiterated that he has “very firm instructions—anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this Earth.”
