US deploys 'flying fortresses' to deter in East Sea
The US recently sent two B-52s flying directly from the US to Australia, considering this a way to support Asian allies against China's aggressive actions in the East Sea, the Washington Times reported.
 US B-52 aircraft. Photo: US Navy |
Two B-52 strategic bombers took off from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana in early July, conducting what the Pentagon called a “bomber deterrence and prevention mission.” The 44-hour mission was coordinated with the Royal Australian Air Force, and used conventional bombs at the Delamere Bomb Range in northeastern Australia.
“These flights are one of the many ways the United States demonstrates our commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. They also enhance aircrew skills and enhance global operational awareness, training coordination, and security cooperation commitments with our regional allies, helping to improve our interoperability and ability to respond to any potential threat,” said US Navy Adm. Cecil Haney.
Admiral Haney said the deterrence missions were also seen as strategic messaging. He declined to specify the purpose of the message. However, another US defense official said the message was directed at China because of its increased intimidation in the South China Sea.
Air Force Col. John Varilek, commander of the U.S. 2nd Combat Support Squadron, called the airstrike exercises an important training mission. “The purpose of these exercises is to provide security for our allies and deter adversaries, to let them know we will be there anytime, anywhere,” Varilek said.
Message of deterrence
The exercises demonstrate the B-52s' ability to conduct global precision strikes to deter strategic attacks on the U.S., a Barksdale Air Force Base spokesman said. The allies allow the second bomber wing to demonstrate its commitment to the Asia-Pacific region.
During the Delamere bombing exercise, the B-52s flew to the Royal Australian Air Force Base at Tindal, 200 miles south of Darwin, where 1,500 U.S. Marines are deployed as part of the U.S. pivot to the Asia-Pacific. Air Force Captain Jared Patterson, 96th Air Division weapons and strategy officer at Barksdale, said the B-52s’ mission is to support Asian allies. Patterson said that as the U.S. pivots to Asia, it is important to show that the B-52s are not just at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, but throughout the region.
Chinese media heated up over the US move to send B-52s to Australia, saying that the flight distance from the US base to Australia is the same as the distance to Truong Sa in the East Sea. Some Chinese military experts said that the Pentagon took action to increase the confidence of its allies in the Asia-Pacific region in their ability to deal with China.
Washington wants to demonstrate that it will intervene in the Asia-Pacific region when necessary without necessarily using military bases in the region. The US Air Force can completely take off from the US and refuel in the air to be present in Asia, protecting allies from military threats.
The Diplomat magazine (Japan) on July 18 quoted Chief of the General Staff of the Japanese Army Katsutoshi Kawano, who visited the US from July 15 to 18, predicting that China will become more aggressive in the future as it seeks to expand in the region. Admiral Kawano noted that at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue, the Chinese representative did not rule out the possibility that Beijing would consider more aggressive actions such as using artificial islands for military purposes or establishing a new air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
Former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage, a supporter of the pivot strategy in US-Japan relations, stated that if China declares the establishment of an ADIZ in the East Sea, the US will respond in the same way it did when Beijing established an ADIZ in the East China Sea.
Specifically, a few days after China declared an ADIZ over the East China Sea, Washington sent two B-52s to the area without prior notice to Beijing. “China has no ability to do more than declare an ADIZ. We guarantee it will not exist,” Mr. Armitage told Admiral Kawano.
The new Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Scott Swift, announced on July 17 that US forces are well-equipped and ready to deal with any unexpected situation in the East Sea. According to the US Senate's electronic information portal, four senators, John McCain, Jack Reed, Bob Corker, and Ben Cardin, issued a statement on July 16 supporting the Philippines' peaceful resolution of China's baseless "cow tongue line" claim in the East Sea. Recently, the US technology company Google changed some place names on its Google Maps application. Accordingly, the name Sansha (Tam Sa) illegally established by China no longer appears at the location of Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago. Google Maps now uses the international name Paracels Islands to refer to Hoang Sa.
(According to WT/TPO)
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