The United States deployed a B-1B Lancer bomber to Northeast Asia on Sunday for a joint aerial exercise with allies South Korea and Japan, following North Korea's test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The trilateral exercise was conducted in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un overseeing the launch of the Hwasong-19 ICBM on Thursday. This missile is North Korea’s most powerful, with Japan estimating its range at over 9,320 miles—sufficient to strike the continental United States if launched on a conventional trajectory. The test flight, however, was on a steep vertical path to avoid breaching other nations' airspace.
The U.S. B-1B, which cannot carry nuclear arms but holds the largest conventional payload in the Air Force at 75,000 pounds, departed from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. It flew to airspace east of Jeju Island, situated south of the Korean Peninsula and west of Japan's Kyushu. The Lancer joined four Japanese F-2 fighter jets, four South Korean F-15K jets, and three U.S. F-16s stationed in South Korea for the exercise.
This display of military strength underscored the U.S. commitment to the security of its allies under its nuclear umbrella, a pledge encompassing both nuclear and conventional defense for Seoul and Tokyo. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command noted that the operation aimed to ensure swift responses to regional security challenges and supported the collective goal of a secure, rules-based Indo-Pacific.
The South Korean military described the exercise as a demonstration of "overwhelming" strike capability against a simulated target.
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