Coalition air forces are providing 24-hour close air support for Operation Mountain Lion, a newly launched Combined Forces Command Afghanistan offensive against Afghan insurgents. Working with the Afghan National Army, coalition forces established security in certain areas of the country to clamp down on insurgent bombings aimed at derailing development efforts. US Air Force F-15s, A-10s, and B-52s and RAF GR-7s are currently backing up ground forces as they search out insurgent sanctuaries and supply networks. Providing intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance data are USAF Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles.
Multiple U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters have deployed to the strategic outpost of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to protect the myriad of assets deployed there, including strategic bombers.