USAF carried out a mock aerial drill as a part of a joint exercise by the United States and its allies, Japan and South Korea. It involved the launching of missiles, and the purpose was to ensure battle readiness against North Korea.
The bombers came from the USAF base of Guam to participate in the mock drill in the Korean peninsula with fighter jets from the South Korean Air Force and Japan Self-Defense Force. It was a nighttime exercise between the allies and this was confirmed by the US Pacific Air Forces.
The South Korean military described it as a simulated air-to-ground missile drill.
It was first conducted on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula and, subsequently, shifted to the western side.
Confidence building measures
CNN reports that, according to the US military, the purpose of the mock drill was to demonstrate the capabilities of the United States and its allies to counter any missile threat from North Korea. It was a sort of confidence building exercise. US bombers regularly fly in from Guam to impart training to their allies.
Incidentally, North Korea has continued with the testing of its missiles. The country has gone ahead with its nuclear programs in spite of sanctions imposed on it by the United Nations. Its intention is to establish a nuclear deterrent against threats of a military attack by the United States.
US President Donald Trump appears to be in favor of a military strike against the regime of Kim Jong-un because, for the past 25 years, Pyongyang has been playing hard-to-get. North Korea has sent two missiles flying over Japan, and the acts were categorized as provocation. However, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis feels that diplomacy, coupled with international economic sanctions, would remain the main US strategy to blunt the edge of North Korea.
Efforts for a peaceful solution
China is a close ally of North Korea and has suggested a possible way out. It wants Pyongyang to end its nuclear programs, and the United States must reciprocate by halting its joint military exercises with South Korea. Such actions by the Americans antagonize the North. However, China’s proposal has not found any takers yet.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan is scheduled to conduct scheduled exercises with the South Korean navy at the end of this month. This US-South Korea naval exercise could add to the existing tensions.
It appears that instead of searching for a peaceful solution, the leaders want to go in for a confrontation. That must be avoided otherwise there will be a loss of lives in thousands and destruction of unimaginable proportions.
