An Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber conducted training missions with fighters from the Japanese and South Korean air forces on Tuesday, Pacific Air Forces said in a Wednesday release.
The bilateral training missions come at a time of increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea test detonated two nuclear weapons last year, and also attempted to fire a missile Wednesday, but American officials said the missile appeared to explode within seconds. During a trip to Asia last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said "the policy of strategic patience [with North Korea] has ended" and "all options are on the table."
PACAF said Wednesday that the B-1B first trained near Japan with F-15J Eagles from the Japanese Air Self Defense Force's Nyutabaru Air Base. The American bomber, which is deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, then flew to South Korean airspace, where it trained with Republic of Korea Air Force F-15K Slam Eagles and F-16s.
The B-1B and the Japanese F-15s conducted intercept and formation training to improve joint capabilities and tactical skills between the two nations, the release said.
"Working and training side-by-side with our ROK partners increases our ability to integrate air operations more effectively in order to deter aggression in the region," PACAF bomber operations chief Maj. Ryan Simpson said in the release. "As an added bonus, the ROK offers an excellent training environment for increasing the capability of our bomber crews."
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
