 [War Zone] In August of 2016, B-1B bombers arrived at Andersen Air Force base on Guam to fulfill U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber assurance and deterrence mission. It was the first time the "Bone" had taken up station on Guam in over a decade, as the jets had spent years becoming the heavy-hitting all stars of America's air campaigns in the Middle East. Since then the B-52H has taken the B-1B's place in that troubled region, meanwhile a handful of B-1Bs have prowled around eastern Asia for a year and half, most famously flying near constant "show of force" missions near North Korean borders.
Now a trio of B-2As and 200 airman to support them have arrived on Guam to augment, or even possibly relieve the B-1s deployed there. But the bat-winged bomber's presence there, or even a changing of the guard, isn't just about swapping one bomber out for another or adding more blunt firepower to the region. The B-2 brings highly unique capabilities to the theatre, ones that would be absolutely essential if the U.S. were to go after Kim Jong Un's regime, or even move to attack a far more limited target set in North Korea. |