The U.S. deployed B-1B bombers to East Asia earlier this week for multiple geopolitical assignments, first in South Korea and then Japan.
First, the long-range bombers participated in joint military drills with jets from South Korea on Tuesday, an operation that drew the ire of government officials in North Korea. The military aerial collaboration occurred on the 113th birthday of the country’s first leader, Kim Il Sung – an important anniversary in the country’s culture.
The Air Force issued a release regarding the joint drills and emphasized the importance of the continued cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea.
“Two U.S. Air Force B-1 Lancers and two F-16 Fighting Falcons joined two Republic of Korea Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs and KF-16s for combined training in airspace over western ROK April 15,” read the release. “The fighters and bombers engaged in offensive and defensive counter air training together, refining combined tactics, techniques and procedures. The bombers then performed a low pass over the flightline of Osan AB before departing Korean airspace.”
“Regular training with strategic assets like long-range bombers and fifth-generation fighters enables Seventh Air Force to maintain its strong, combined readiness posture with the Republic of Korea Air Force and demonstrates its continued ironclad commitment to the ROK-U.S. Alliance,” noted the release.
Additionally, CBS News reported that South Korea’s Defense Ministry announced the drills were meant to enhance “operational capabilities” between the two countries and promote deterrence against any potential North Korean aggression. The communist country on the Korean peninsula has fired multiple ballistic missiles in recent months. North Korean government officials claimed the launches were a sign of their own deterrence against the U.S.
North Korean state media blasted the joint military operation, considering it an antagonizing act of aggression. Reuters reported that a spokesman for North Korea’s defense ministry called the drills “reckless bluffing.”
“The recent military move of the U.S. and the ROK is an open threat to the security of our state,” said the spokesperson.
Later, the same B-1B bombers flew to Misawa Air Base in Japan to participate in the “U.S. Air Force’s first-ever Bomber Task Force rotation based in Japan.” The presence of the bomber planes marked an increase in U.S. aerial military might in the Indo-Pacific, reported Air & Space Forces Magazine. It’s also the first time since the Vietnam War era that there were U.S. bombers in Japan. During that time, B-52 bombers were at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
