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NATO Commander: US B-52s Sent to Europe 'Only There for Military Exercise'

© AFP 2023 / Raul ARBOLEDAA US Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber
A US Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber - Sputnik International
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The three US Air Force B-52 strategic nuclear bombers sent to Spain last week are not part of any plan to threaten Russia or expand US nuclear capabilities in Europe, NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Philip Breedlove told a Pentagon press conference.

A US Air Force B-52 bomber - Sputnik International
US Deploys 3 B-52 Nuclear Bombers to NATO Exercise in Europe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — "The B-52s [are] not part of ERI [European Reassurance Initiative]," Breedlove stated on Tuesday. "They are part of a long-planned exercise… This is a routine mission scheduled for a long time."

The three US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, usually based at Barksdale Air Force Base in the state of Louisiana, have been redeployed to Moron Air Base, Spain, the US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) announced in a statement on February 26.

"It is a part of the exercise objectives… not a part of any response [to Russian actions]," Breedlove maintained.

Georgian servicemen stand at the opening of a joint NATO-Georgia training center outside Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The multi-role heavy bombers will integrate and train with US European Command components and regional allies and partners by participating in the Norwegian exercise Cold Response during this short-term deployment, STRATCOM said last week.

The bombers provided a unique and complementary capability to the intercontinental ballistic missile as well as ballistic missile submarine legs of the US nuclear triad, STRATCOM chief Admiral Cecil Haney said.

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