On BBC, Bryan Clark discusses the United Kingdom’s decision to allow the United States to use its bases, highlighting that these facilities host B-1 Lancer bombers capable of carrying the largest payloads deployable in the region. He emphasizes that access to these bases is essential for large-scale strikes along the coastline to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while noting that a California-based unit will replace forces called in from Japan as part of a broader effort to rebalance US presence in the Indo-Pacific as the war in Iran continues.
Caption
Laboratory technicians work on samples to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a testing facility in Wuhan, China on August 4, 2021. (Getty Images)