U.S. flaunts deterrence capabilities in exercise near Korean Peninsula

Two U.S. B-52 bombers participated in a three-day exercise near the Korean Peninsula to highlight the U.S. military's extended deterrence capabilities in the western Pacific, according to the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command on Friday.

A U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bomber flies alongside three F-22 Raptor stealth bombers and a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft in the distance during a training mission near the Korean Peninsula on Dec. 20. [DEFENSE MINISTRY]

Two U.S. B-52 bombers participated in a three-day exercise near the Korean Peninsula to highlight the U.S. military's extended deterrence capabilities in the western Pacific, according to the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command on Friday.

The command’s announcement that the mission had wrapped up was released the same day that North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

The two B-52 Stratofortress bombers were dispatched to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana on Dec. 18, according to a press release by the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command.

The command said that the B-52 crews then “integrated with U.S. Air Force F-22s rotationally based in the region” as well as with regional allies during the exercise.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the United States flew B-52 bombers and F-22 stealth fighter jets near South Korea Tuesday as a demonstration of U.S. “extended deterrence” against North Korea.

According to the ministry, South Korean F-35A and F-15K fighters also participated in the joint air drills, which were held in South Korea’s air defense identification zone (Kadiz) southwest of Jeju Island.

“The B-52s signified the United States’ ability to project nuclear-capable bombers across the globe to integrate with Allies and partners and provide extended deterrence options against aggression in the region,” the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command said.

The deployment of the two B-52 bombers and the F-22 stealth fighters by the U.S. military follows last month’s agreement between South Korean and U.S. defense officials to bolster Washington’s security assurances to Seoul by increasing joint military drills and regularly deploying U.S. strategic assets, including long-range bombers and aircraft carriers, to the region.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the allies will “continue to strengthen [their] combined defense posture” in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The statement from the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command was released the same day that the North fired two ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

The missiles, which were launched from the Sunan area near Pyongyang at 4:32 p.m., flew 250 kilometers (155 miles) and 350 kilometers, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

The most recent launches brought the total number of missiles fired by Pyongyang this year to 67.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang’s state media reported that the 6th plenary meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party will be held in late December to decide “a working plan for 2023 and a series of important issues arising in the development of the Party and the revolution at present.”

The ruling party’s plenary session will be closely watched for clues about the regime’s military agenda and external policy toward South Korea and the United States.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may also use the party gathering to deliver a major speech instead of giving it on New Year’s Day.

Kim has not delivered a speech on Jan. 1 since 2019, when he chose instead to give a speech at a party plenary session.

At the eighth congress of the ruling Workers’ Party held in January 2021, Kim used the occasion of a speech to party members to outline several sophisticated military assets sought by his regime, which included a spy satellite.

The North last week launched two medium-range ballistic missiles, one of which state media claimed carried a test satellite that was the final step for the development of the regime's first reconnaissance satellite, scheduled to be launched in April next year.

Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released low-resolution black-and-white photos showing a view from space of Seoul and Incheon, which the agency said was taken by the test satellite.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]