This week, U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers made their second landing in Guam this year as a result of regional unrest over Taiwan and the potential for another North Korean nuclear test.
A day after aircraft-spotting websites reported their flight from home bases in the United States, the U.S. military on Thursday confirmed their temporary deployment to the U.S. Pacific territory as part of a ‘bomber task force’ mission.
When questioned if the operation was supposed to convey a message to North Korea, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder responded, ‘It is… meant to send a message that the United States stands closely with its allies and partners to discourage possible aggression.’
The deployment of the bombers is also intended to show that the US is capable of conducting worldwide operations at any time, he continued.
This year, North Korea tested a record number of missiles, including one that was launched over Japan. North Korea also appears ready, according to Washington and Seoul officials, to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017.
Since 2006, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests.
In response to North Korea’s missile tests, the United States and its allies in South Korea and Japan have increased their shows of military force, including by conducting naval manoeuvres with an American aircraft carrier and staging significant field exercises for the first time in years.
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