US Air Force Chief: "B-1B Deployment to Korean Peninsula is Combat Readiness, Training Will Continue"

"South Korea and the United States, an Unbreakable Alliance"

Two B-1B bombers, considered key U.S. strategic assets, are flying over the Korean Peninsula. The two B-1Bs, which were deployed to Guam in the Pacific last month, arrived on the afternoon of the 5th and conducted a joint U.S.-South Korea air exercise over the Korean Peninsula alongside four South Korean F-35As and four U.S. F-16s.
[Photo by Joint Chiefs of Staff]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] Charles Brown, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force, recently evaluated the deployment of the B-1B Lancer strategic bombers to the Korean Peninsula as part of training for combat readiness. He also emphasized the "ironclad alliance" between South Korea and the United States.

According to Voice of America (VOA) on the 9th, in a recent interview, when asked about the significance of the B-1B deployment to the Korean Peninsula, General Brown said, "It was part of the 'Vigilant Storm' exercise we conducted," adding, "This is one of the trainings we have been conducting, and we will continue training for readiness."

He particularly mentioned his two separate tours of duty in South Korea, stressing, "We have an ironclad alliance with South Korea."

Earlier, on the 5th, on the final day of the South Korea-U.S. joint air exercise Vigilant Storm, two U.S. Pacific Air Forces B-1B strategic bombers were deployed to the Korean Peninsula. It was the first sortie in about five years since December 2017. These bombers conducted joint exercises alongside four South Korean Air Force F-35As and four U.S. Air Force F-16s, sending a strong warning message to North Korea, which has recently carried out a series of missile provocations.

The B-1B, considered one of the three major U.S. strategic bombers, is the strategic asset most likely to be deployed to the Korean Peninsula in an emergency, capable of reaching North Korean territory within two hours from its base in Guam.