The bombers took off from the Royal Air Force base at Fairford, England, and flew over the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.
The Reagan carrier strike group will “operate and train alongside regional and coalition partners” and provide airpower to assist U.S. and coalition forces while the U.S. withdraws troops from Afghanistan.
The Reagan will move from the Asia-Pacific region to the Middle East, and is expected to remain in U.S. Central Command’s region for up to four months, The Wall Street Journal reports.
"I think the [Maldives] marine corps is probably where we can help focus a lot of our efforts," said a 5th SFAB team leader. "They're the ones that will help respond to any crises that pop up in the country."
The United States called Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates “major security partners” early Saturday, a previously unheard of designation for the two countries home to major American military operations.