A pair of the same aircraft flew over the peninsula from their station at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam last week following the North’s fifth ever nuclear test. The US said the flyover was an assurance of the country’s commitment to preserving security on the peninsula and in the region.
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North Korea has been testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate this year, including the launch of a satellite in February that was widely seen as a test of long-range ballistic missile technology.
Less than two weeks after North Korea completed its second successful nuclear warhead test of the year, South Korea and the United States are reportedly training for a “mock attack” on a nuclear facility, CNN reported Wednesday morning. The thrust of the engine is said to have reached 785 kN (80 tonnes-force).
“The long-standing view in the United States is that we together are more than capable of defending South Korea and Japan against any conceivable threat from any country, that we always have the full range of capabilities available to us if necessary”, Wolfsthal said.
And last Tuesday, the USA conducted a similar flyover with B-1B bombers escorted by US and South Korean jets.
Graham said this reflects Seoul’s desire for the U.S.to communicate that extended deterrence is functioning “when North Korea is off the nuclear leash and pro-nuclear weapons advocates have suddenly become more vocal” in the South.
South Korean Air Force Operational Commander Lt. Gen.
On Wednesday (21 September), the USA forces said a pair of B-1B Lancer strategic bombers cruised over South Korea with one of the jets landing at South Korea’s Osan Air Base Pyeongtaek, located about 40 km from Seoul.
“Should the enemy provoke us once again, the Combined Air Forces will respond and eliminate their will and capability to fight”, he said.
The U.S. has pledged to deploy a THAAD anti-missile system by next spring, and is reportedly considering sending B-2 and B-52 bombers to the peninsula as well.
South Korea’s prime minister, Hwang Kyo-ahn, told parliament South Korea wanted existing United Nations sanctions against the North tightened by removing loopholes that allow it to trade in minerals if it is for subsistence. North Korea called that a bluff and said such actions were pushing tensions to the “point of explosion”.
This week’s test prompted fears that North Korea is edging closer to a long-range missile launch.
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Russian Federation had earlier urged the global community to find more “creative” ways to respond to North Korea’s nuclear ambitions than merely imposing sanctions on the country.
