US B-1B Bombers Deployed to West Pacific Air Base [Video]

The United States has sent at least four bombers to a military hub in the Western Pacific Ocean amid tensions in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Korean Peninsula.

The American supersonic B-1B jets were deployed to Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory.

Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces for further comment by email. The Chinese Defense Ministry and the North Korean Embassy in Beijing, China, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

The deployment came as China maintained its military presence around Taiwan, which is a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its territory, and the contested maritime features in the South China Sea. In the Korean Peninsula, North Korea continued its weapon tests. Guam is an ideal staging area to project military power, as it is only over 1,600 miles away from Taiwan and the South China Sea and 1,800 miles away from South Korea.

What To Know

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