The exercises conducted Saturday involved F/A-18E Super Hornets, E-2D Growlers and other air assets from Carrier Air Wing 7 attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and B-52H Stratofortress heavy, long-range bombers.
The drills included air-to-air training, formation flying, close air support exercises, strike coordination and reconnaissance training, and simulated strike operations.
"Our land, air, and maritime assets are even stronger and more effective when integrated together," Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, Combined Forces Air Component Commander, said in a statement. "We are postured to face any threats toward US forces in this region."
"The training the air wing conducted with the B-52's today is an incredible demonstration of how our military can rapidly join capabilities to enhance our lethality and our ability to respond to any threat when called upon," Capt. William Reed, Carrier Air Wing 7 commander, explained.
The US military has deployed a US carrier strike group consisting of a carrier, several destroyers and a cruiser, a bomber task force, an amphibious assault vessel, a Patriot air-and-missile defense battery, fighter jets, and hundreds of additional troops to the Middle East to deter Iran.
