Latest news with #B-1B
New York Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
US will strike North Korea if South attacked with nukes, South's spy chief nominee says
South Korea's nominee for spy agency director said on Thursday he believed the United States would strike North Korea with nuclear weapons if Pyongyang launched a nuclear attack against South Korea. 3 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks while he inspects military factories, as he urges a ramp-up in shell production to meet modern warfare demands, at an unknown location in North Korea, on June 13, 2025. via REUTERS Lee Jong-seok made the comment during a nomination hearing in answer to a question if he believed Washington would strike the North and put Americans at risk from a country even if Pyongyang has deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles. 'Yes, that is my belief,' Lee said, after saying the hypothetical scenario of South Korea coming under the North's nuclear attack is directly related to the security alliance between the two countries. North Korea has for years pursued a nuclear programme and is believed to have stockpiled fissile materials to build atomic weapons although it has not tested a missile mounted with such a weapon. 3 US B-1B bombers stage joint drills with South Korean and US fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula sky. 3 The North Korean government calls the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, in North Korea. AP Lee is nominated to lead South Korea's National Intelligence Service under new liberal President Lee Jae Myung who took office on June 4.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Green Beret nominated to top Pentagon position to oversee special ops
A former Army Special Forces officer who was in charge of a team involved in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan was nominated as the Pentagon's head of special operations. Derrick Anderson was nominated Monday by President Donald Trump to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, according to a notice on His nomination was referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee for consideration. If confirmed to the largely bureaucratic position, Anderson would oversee administrative and policy issues that apply to special operations and irregular warfare units and advise the secretary of defense and other senior civilian leaders on issues like equipment, readiness and training for the force. While a captain in the Army in 2014, Anderson was the commander of a Special Forces team in Afghanistan from the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. On June 9, 2014, his team and allied Afghan soldiers engaged in a firefight with the Taliban that ended in a wayward American airstrike that killed five U.S. soldiers and one Afghan. A U.S. Central Command investigation found that miscommunication and a lack of proper protocols among Anderson, his tactical air controller and the crew of the B-1B bomber that dropped the bombs led to the friendly fire. In a later interview with 60 Minutes about the incident, Anderson disputed that his leadership was at fault in the strike. A classified report on the strike obtained by 60 Minutes found that a central cause was the inability of the B-1's sensors to detect the strobe lights worn by the Green Berets on their equipment — an issue that neither the bomber's crew nor the ground team were aware of. 'I'm the commander of this team. This is my team. I miss my guys tremendously. But at the end of the day there's nothing that myself or my Team Sergeant did that day or failed to do that day that caused that incident to happen,' he told 60 Minutes. 'We made the decisions that we thought were best at the time on the ground for the guys that were getting shot at.' In 2024, Anderson also ran for a Congressional House seat in Virginia as a Republican but lost to Democratic candidate Eugene Vindman. Anderson grew up in Virginia and attended Virginia Tech on an Army ROTC scholarship, according to a Special Operations Association of America bio page. He went on to become an infantry officer, went to Ranger School and became a platoon leader in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division. He served on a 13-month tour during the 2007 'Iraq surge.' He also oversaw burial and memorial ceremonies with the 3rd Infantry Regiment in Arlington National Cemetery. After leaving the military, he attended law school at Georgetown University and clerked for three federal judges, according to his LinkedIn page. Navy SEAL Team 6 operator will be the military's new top enlisted leader Veterans receiving disability payments might have been underpaid, IG finds Guam barracks conditions are 'baffling,' Navy admiral says in email Navy fires admiral in charge of unmanned systems office after investigation The Pentagon wants troops to change duty stations less often
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First Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- First Post
After Diego Garcia, US deploys warplanes in Guam to beef up Indo-Pacific presence
After Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the United States has deployed heavy, nuclear-capable bombers in Guam to beef up the military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. read more A B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, takes off at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on April 14, 2023. (Representative Photo, Credit: US Air Force) In what appears to be part of a gradual build-up in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States has now deployed bombers in Guam after deploying more warplanes in Diego Garcia earlier this month. The deployment in Guam comes after the United States deployed B-1B bombers for the first time in Japan last month. While Guam in the western Pacific Ocean is part of the 'second island chain' strategy of the United States to contain China, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean is critical to operations in Central Command, Africa Command, and European Command. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US beefs up Inco-Pacific presence with bombers in Guam The US Air Force 2nd Bomb Wing, which operates B-52H Stratofortress long-range, heavy bombers, appears to have deployed an unspecified number of aircraft in Guam. A video cited by Newsweek shows the unit's bombers undergoing maintenance and post-flight inspections at the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on May 22. The B-52H bombers have a stated range of 8,800 miles and can carry up to 70,000 pounds of payload. They are also capable of carrying nuclear warheads. These aircraft are said to have 'worldwide precision navigation capability' and have a top speed of 650 miles per hour. The news of B-52H's deployment in Guam comes after the United States increased the strength at the Diego Garcia base in the wake of ongoing tense nuclear negotiations with Iran. In March, The War Zone reported that six B-2 bombers were deployed in Diego Garcia and the total number at one point reached 10 — an unusually large number in what was deemed as power projection amid rising international tensions. Even as the B-2s left Diego Garcia, the United States increased the deployment of F-15 fighter planes at the base, according to TWZ. In two tranches, TWZ has reported that the United States has deployed six F-15s in Diego Garcia to provide protection to the base and bombers stationed there. Since the October 7 attack, the base has been used to strike Yemen-based Houthis who have terrorised the Red Sea.
Newsweek
26-05-2025
- General
- Newsweek
US Sends New Bombers to Frontline Air Base in West Pacific
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States appears to have rotated its bomber fleet to the Western Pacific Ocean by deploying aircraft to Guam, a strategic hub that serves as a staging area for projecting power. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for further comment by email. Why It Matters The U.S. often deploys its bombers—consisting of the B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit, and B-52H Stratofortress—at bases in the Indo-Pacific region for Bomber Task Force (BTF) missions, including Guam, its westernmost territory in the Pacific Ocean, a Newsweek map shows. Guam serves as the center of the Second Island Chain under the U.S. containment strategy, which seeks to keep adversaries' forces in check. The island also hosts Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps bases that sustain and maintain the American military presence in the region. What To Know The U.S. Air Force 2nd Bomb Wing—a B-52H Stratofortress bomber unit headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana—released a video on Saturday indicating that an unspecified number of bombers have been deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The video shows a bomber undergoing maintenance and post-flight inspections at the air base on May 22, with its caption stating that BTF missions provide opportunities to train and work with U.S. allies and partners across different combatant command areas of operations. The B-52H bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of nuclear or conventional weapons and features "worldwide precision navigation capability." It has a stated range of 8,800 miles and a top speed of 650 miles per hour, according to a U.S. Air Force fact sheet. This marked the third BTF deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean this year, according to the map created by Newsweek. The last mission saw four B-1B bombers deploy to Misawa Air Base in Japan in mid-April, returning to the U.S. in two flights on May 9 and May 12. A United States Air Force B-52H bomber arrives at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam after completing a Bomber Task Force mission on April 29, 2024. A United States Air Force B-52H bomber arrives at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam after completing a Bomber Task Force mission on April 29, 2024. Tech. Sgt. Eric Summers Jr./U.S. Air Force The map also shows that Andersen Air Force Base hosted another BTF deployment from mid-January to early March, involving a separate group of four B-1B bombers. These bombers are not nuclear-capable and carry up to 75,000 pounds of conventional weapons. It was not clear how long the B-52H bombers will be deployed in Guam. The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, responsible for America's bomber force, previously told Newsweek that it is ready to conduct BTF missions "anyplace, anytime, and for any duration required." What People Are Saying The U.S. Air Force 2nd Bomb Wing said: "Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment that is more diverse and uncertain than any other time in recent history." The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command previously told Newsweek: "Our command is committed to working with U.S. allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific; those allies and partners provide an asymmetric advantage that our adversaries can never hope to match." The U.S. Pacific Air Forces previously told Newsweek: "The U.S. Air Force routinely deploys a variety of aircraft and units throughout the Indo-Pacific area of operations in support of geographic combatant command objectives and training." What Happens Next It remains to be seen when the Guam-based B-52H bombers will execute their first mission since arriving on the Western Pacific island, where tensions remain high in the South China Sea, across the Taiwan Strait, and on the Korean Peninsula.
Miami Herald
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Photos Show Allied Jets Escorting US Bombers in New Frontline Drills
The United States conducted a drill with Japan, involving supersonic bombers and stealth fighter jets, to strengthen their deterrence amid an "increasingly severe security environment." Newsweek has emailed the Chinese and Russian defense ministries for comment. The North Korean Embassy in China did not immediately respond to a written request for comment. Under the U.S. maritime containment strategy, Japan forms part of the First Island Chain, aiming to restrict China's military access to the wider Western Pacific Ocean. Japan also faces nuclear and missile threats from North Korea and has a territorial dispute with Russia. Last month, four U.S. B-1B bombers were deployed to northern Japan as part of a Bomber Task Force mission at Misawa Air Base, demonstrating America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to its allies and partners, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces said. The deployment of American bombers, which are not nuclear-capable, comes after President Donald Trump questioned the reciprocity of the security treaty with Japan in March, stating, "We have to protect Japan, but under no circumstances do they have to protect us." The U.S. Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force conducted a bilateral exercise on May 9 in the airspace over waters surrounding Japan, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. Officially released photos show a pair of U.S. B-1B bombers flying in formation with two Japanese F-35A stealth fighter jets over several undisclosed locations in Japanese waters. "This bilateral exercise reaffirms the strong intention between Japan and the United States not to tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo by force," the Japanese Defense Ministry explained, adding that the drill enhanced the alliance's readiness and response capabilities. In a Facebook post, Misawa Air Base said the exercise-described as a "Bomber Task Force joint integration training"-enhanced interoperability and demonstrated what it called a "united commitment" by the U.S. and Japan to regional stability and global security. The B-1B bomber has the largest payload of conventional weapons in the U.S. Air Force inventory, capable of carrying up to 75,000 pounds of bombs and missiles. It has a top speed of Mach 1.2, traveling faster than the speed of sound, with an intercontinental flight range. Japan has acquired F-35A fighter jets from the U.S., its treaty ally, to bolster its air power. The aircraft are currently stationed at Misawa Air Base on the Pacific coast and at Komatsu Air Base, which faces the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in South Korea) to the west. The U.S. Pacific Air Forces said: "[Bomber Task Force] 25-2 showcases Allied strength and unity to deter aggression by showcasing its ironclad commitment to allies and partners while promoting peace, stability, homeland defense and keeping our forces mission-ready." Japan's defense white paper 2024 read: "The international community has entered a new era of crisis. It is now facing its greatest trial since the end of World War II. The existing order is being seriously challenged. Japan finds itself in the most severe and complex security environment of the post-war era." It remains to be seen whether the U.S. will deploy additional military aircraft to Japan. In addition to the bombers, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps recently deployed their stealth fighter jets-the F-35A and F-35B, respectively-to the Northeast Asian ally. Related Articles Biggest Arms Deal in History a Win for TrumpIran Prepares Forces for War As Doubt Hangs Over US Nuclear TalksHouthis Send Warning on Trump Middle East VisitPope Leo Issues Five-Word Message to the US 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
