Pentagon sends B-1B to Korea in show of force
The United States and South Korea conducted a joint air exercise on April 15 involving the deployment of U.S. B-1B strategic bombers over the Korean Peninsula.
According to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, the exercise featured U.S. and South Korean F-16 and F-35A stealth fighters alongside the B-1B Lancer, a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying up to 57 tons of conventional ordnance.
The mission, held on the birthday of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, was intended to highlight the “regular visibility of U.S. extended deterrence,” the ministry said.
“The training demonstrated the combined extended deterrence posture of the ROK-U.S. alliance in response to North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement. “It also aimed to enhance interoperability between the two forces.”
The B-1B Lancer, which operates out of Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, can reach the Korean Peninsula in roughly two hours and is routinely used in signaling operations across the Indo-Pacific. Although the aircraft no longer carries nuclear weapons, its heavy payload capacity makes it a key platform for delivering a range of precision-guided munitions.
This marks the latest in a series of high-profile deployments of U.S. strategic assets to the region. A similar B-1B mission occurred in February, prompting a rare public response from North Korea’s Ministry of Defense. In a statement released the following day, Pyongyang condemned the exercise and warned of “strategic counteraction” against what it described as “hostile provocations from the Trump administration.”
Monday’s operation underscores growing military coordination between Washington and Seoul amid continued missile launches by North Korea and uncertainty around its weapons development programs. Both allies have pledged to expand the scope and frequency of their joint drills to maintain pressure on Pyongyang and affirm the credibility of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.
“Our two nations will continue to enhance combined training to deter and respond to North Korean threats through close cooperation,” the South Korean defense ministry said.
