Six US Bombers Unusually Launch Simultaneously (Comprehensive)

The B-1B Lancer bomber, known as the Death Swan.

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Six U.S. bombers flew over the waters near the Korean Peninsula one day before the start of the ROK-U.S. joint military exercises. It is highly unusual for six U.S. bombers to simultaneously sortie in line with the joint exercises, and this is seen as a strong warning message to North Korea and China. It also appears to reflect the U.S. side's intention to emphasize maintaining and verifying the combined defense posture during the ROK-U.S. joint exercises.

According to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces on the 19th, six bombers, including four B-1B strategic bombers known as the "Death Swans" and two B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, took off from the U.S. mainland and Guam on the 17th and flew over the Korea Strait and the skies near Japan throughout the day.

Two B-1Bs took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, and two others from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The B-2s reportedly departed from the U.S. Air Force base on Diego Garcia Island, a British territory in the Indian Ocean recently deployed with bombers, and flew to the waters near Japan. The two B-1Bs that took off from Dyess Air Force Base conducted joint training with F-15J fighters belonging to the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. At this time, four F-15C fighters stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, F-35B fighters, and F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan also participated.

The U.S. Air Force deploys bombers worldwide according to the global deployment plan under the motto "less predictable," part of the strategic bomber operation policy of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). The U.S. Air Force also stated, "This mission demonstrated the ability to provide combatant commanders worldwide with lethal, ready, long-range strike options anytime and anywhere."

Some analysts suggest that as the ROK-U.S. joint exercises were scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the verification of the combined defense posture between South Korea and Japan was strengthened. The U.S. side has consistently emphasized that the ROK-U.S. joint exercises should focus on maintaining and verifying the combined defense posture, and this is seen as partly reflecting the will of General Robert Abrams, commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. On the other hand, the South Korean military has shown a differing stance, emphasizing the need to focus on verifying the Full Operational Capability (FOC) of the future combined command for the wartime operational control transfer.

There is also an assessment that the U.S. is conducting exercises to check not only North Korea but also China in line with the ROK-U.S. joint exercises. In April, the U.S. withdrew B-52 strategic bombers that had been rotationally deployed at Guam base back to the mainland, and just two weeks later deployed four B-1B bombers to Guam. Since then, B-1B bombers have frequently operated over the South China Sea, which China claims sovereignty over, as well as near Taiwan, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, demonstrating their presence.

Shin Jong-woo, Secretary General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said, "The strengthening of joint exercises between the U.S. and Japan is because the ROK and U.S. have not been able to conduct substantial combined military exercises," adding, "The recent flight of U.S. bombers over the East Sea carries a strong message to pressure North Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.