US flies bombers over S.Korea in show of force against North

The US yesterday sent two nuclear-weapons-capable supersonic bombers streaking over South Korea in a show of force meant to cow North Korea after last week’s nuclear test, and also to settle rattled nerves in the South.

“The United States and the Republic of Korea are taking actions every day to strengthen our alliance and respond to North Korea’s continued aggressive behavior”, Gen. Vincent Brooks said in a press release.

The two bombers conducted a low-altitude flight over an air base located some 77km (48 miles) from the border between the two Koreas.

The B-1Bs were then escorted by South Korean and USA fighter jets in a low-altitude flight over Osan Air Base, which is 77 km (48 miles) from the Demilitarised Zone border with the North and about 40 km (25 miles) from the South’s capital Seoul.

Moon refused to say what evidence pointed to another possible North Korea test, but said South Korea and USA intelligence authorities believe North Korea has the ability to detonate another atomic device anytime.

The U.S. response to this situation was the deployment of two supersonic bombers #B-1B that took off from the United States base at Guam and were then escorted by two Japan Air Self Defense Force aircraft before a “hand-off” to South Korean jets.

It is the first time the B-1s, which have the largest payload of any U.S. bomber, have been part of the Pacific bomber force in a decade.

The B-1 bombers used in the fly-over had been used repeatedly in operations in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, some of which were supposed ISIS hunts. After this test, South Korean President Park Geun-hye showed his concerns about the worsening situation in the peninsula, fearing that another nuclear test could take place soon. “The B-1 bomber is specifically suited for the Pacific region”, Lt. Col. Seth Spanier, commander of the B-1 squadron on Guam, said.

Pyongyang’s activities are “a effect of the administrations’ failed policy of strategic patience and its hollow pivot to Asia”, said U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The US use of Guam-based bombers to make a statement on the Korean Peninsula is not new.

The UN Security Council is scrambling to come up with new penalties, but five sets of UN sanctions since North Korea first tested a nuclear device in 2006 have failed to deter it.

“It’s a question of North Korean intentions and commitment”.

“They absolutely took notice”, Ripley said of the North Koreans.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called on China, North Korea’s closest partner, to act.

While North Korea’s highly enriched uranium program is growing, the country’s capacity to produce plutonium “remains limited” to 13 pounds per year.

While the B-1s made a strong USA statement Tuesday, Brooks, the United States commander, pointed out they aren’t the only weapon in the U.S. arsenal.

North Korea’s weapons enhancements, including the testing of various types of missiles this year at an unprecedented rate, have alarmed neighbours South Korea and Japan. “The U.S. should shoulder its due responsibilities”.