Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, flew from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for a 10-hour mission, flying in the vicinity of Kyushu, Japan, the East China Sea, and the Korean peninsula, Aug. 7, 2017. During the mission, the B-1s were joined by Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s as well as Republic of Korea Air Force KF-16 fighter jets, performing two sequential bilateral air drills.

“How we train is how we fight and the more we interface with our allies, the better prepared we are to fight tonight,” said a 37th EBS B-1 pilot.

These flights with Japan and the Republic of Korea demonstrate solidarity between Japan, S. Korea, and the U.S. to defend against provocative and destabilizing actions in the Pacific theater. The mission is in direct response to North Korea’s recent nuclear threat.