US Air Force Confirms B-1 Bombers Deployed to Guam, Says Not Tied to Any Country or Threat

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Air Force confirmed to Sputnik that B-1 bombers recently deployed to Guam for routine mission flights, but added that they are not in response to any country or threat.

Flight tracker data shows that four B-1 bombers recently deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam following a series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea, including one that flew over Japan earlier this month.

"In response to your inquiry concerning the B-1B Lancers in Guam, Bomber Task Force activities are routine and are not tied to any one country or threat," a US Air Force spokesperson said. "The acceleration of strategic competition has bolstered the need to strengthen alliances and recruit new partners, increase lethality and interoperability, and deter, deny, and dominate aggression, to promote the collective goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The spokesperson added that Bomber Task Force missions support the larger US strategy to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific and are not in direct response to another country’s actions.

North Korea has carried out eight missile test launches since September 25 and more than 25 since the beginning of 2022. Pyongyang has emphasized that its test launches are carried out in response to the refusal by the United States and South Korea to stop joint military exercises that Pyongyang says threaten regional stability.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet with Japanese and South Korean counterparts in Tokyo on October 24-26 to discuss the latest North Korean missile test launches, according to a senior US administration official.