Show of force
A B-52 bomber, out of Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, flies over Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. The strategic warplane is capable of carrying up to 20 nuclear weapons. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han
By Kang Seung-woo
A B-52 bomber flew over South Korea, Tuesday, sending a message to North Korea that the United States is firmly committed to defending its ally.
Along with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and sea launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), the strategic bomber is one of three systems supporting the U.S. nuclear umbrella to ensure deterrence against nuclear threats.
The B-52 training flight over Korea was the second this month, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, following an earlier flight on March 8 as part of the Foal Eagle Exercise, a joint military drill ongoing until April 30.
Key Resolve, another joint exercise in operation, will run through Thursday.
“The flight training is meaningful in that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is offering extended deterrence against the North’s recent uptick in angry rhetoric including nuclear strike threats,” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing. There was no response from Pyongyang, he added.
Earlier in the day, a Pentagon official announced that a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber was on a mission over the Korean Peninsula 11 days ago, but said it was not armed with nuclear weapons.
“We’re drawing attention to the fact that we have extended deterrence capabilities that we believe are important to demonstrate in the wake of recent North Korean rhetoric,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
He added that this “a stepped-up training effort” is to demonstrate American resolve to protect South Korea and to preserve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
It is unusual for the U.S. defense department to make public the use of strategic nuclear forces in the Asia Pacific region and military watchers say doing so was a strong warning to the North regarding possible provocative actions.
“The B-52, along with the B-2, is a bomber capable of launching nuclear-armed cruise missiles, and by making such overt statements about the use of the B-52, a strategic U.S. military asset, the United States is sending a message to the North that any rash challenge will be punished, while offering nuclear deterrence under the U.S. nuclear umbrella for the South,” said Shin In-kyun, president of the Korea Defense Network.
After the reclusive Stalinist state’s third nuclear test on Feb. 12, the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) agreed to expand sanctions, which resulted in the Kim Jong-un regime ramping up threats of a “second Korean War.”
In response to escalating tensions between the two Koreas, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced last weekend that Washington will beef up its defenses against a potential North Korean missile attack on its mainland, with a plan to add 14 interceptors to the 30 in its missile defense system by fiscal 2017.