Overview

• A U.S. B-52H strategic bomber joined South Korean KF-16s and Japanese F-2 fighters in drills over international waters off Jeju, marking the bomber’s first deployment to the peninsula this year.
• The drill bolstered deterrence against North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs by testing interoperability across allied air forces over international waters.
• This exercise follows a series of increasingly complex combined drills since October 2023 aimed at enhancing interoperability among U.S., South Korean and Japanese forces.
• Defense chiefs from all three countries convened in Seoul to formalize closer military cooperation on shared Indo-Pacific security challenges.
• U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine warned of an unprecedented military build-up by North Korea and China, underscoring the exercise’s strategic significance.