Indo-Pacific Map Shows Where US Bombers Operate Outside of America
The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, which is responsible for the entire American bomber force, is ready to conduct Bomber Task Force (BTF) operations "anyplace, anytime, and for any duration required," the Louisiana-based command told Newsweek on Monday.
The U.S. Air Force operates three types of bombers in active service: the nuclear-capable B-2 Spirit and B-52H Stratofortress and the B-1B Lancer, which can carry up to 75,000 pounds of nonnuclear weapons.
American bombers have been conducting BTF missions since 2018 in the European and Pacific theaters by deploying at U.S. and allied air bases for an unspecified period, demonstrating the Pentagon's ability to "command and control bomber forces anywhere."
These missions, which are regular and routine, show the U.S. is committed to strengthening deterrence and promoting peace and stability by providing "combat-ready forces for nuclear and conventional global strike," according to the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command.
Since the commencement of BTF missions, the U.S. has sent its bombers to five locations in the Indo-Pacific region that are outside the continental U.S., including two locations on U.S. territory: Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
Guam and Hawaii are part of the second and third island chains, respectively, under a U.S. containment strategy to restrict Russian and Chinese military access to the Pacific Ocean. Both islands also serve as strategic outposts for projecting the U.S.'s military power.
The remaining locations are Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Australia, Misawa Air Base in Japan and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory. Australia and Japan are located within the first and second island chains.
Each BTF mission involves two to four aircraft and lasts for a month on average. The U.S. is currently conducting two deployments: the B-1B bombers at Misawa Air Base and the B-2 bombers at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.
While the U.S. Pacific Air Forces told Newsweek that it would refrain from discussing the number of deployed bombers and the length of their presence in Japan, it has been confirmed that this will be a "limited deployment" for training with U.S. allies and partners in the region.
Prior to the first-ever rotational BTF deployment in Japan, the B-1B bombers took part in training with the South Korean air force in the ally's airspace. North Korea later condemned Washington for "escalating tension" and "inciting confrontation" in the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon said additional "air assets" had been ordered to deploy to the Middle East amid rising tensions. However, it has yet to confirm the deployment of as many as six B-2 bombers at the Indian Ocean outpost, which were spotted by satellite imagery.
The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command told Newsweek: "Our command is committed to working with U.S. allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific; those allies and partners provide an asymmetric advantage that our adversaries can never hope to match."
The U.S. Pacific Air Forces told Newsweek: "The U.S. Air Force routinely deploys a variety of aircraft and units throughout the Indo-Pacific area of operations in support of geographic combatant command objectives and training. … Bomber Task Force deployments support the larger Indo-Pacific strategy to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific and are not in direct response to any political or economic factors."
The U.S. looks for every opportunity to train alongside allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region to bolster collective ability, the U.S. Pacific Air Forces told Newsweek. It remains to be seen whether the U.S. will expand BTF missions by sending bombers to new locations.
Related Articles
Iran Ready for Nuclear Deal with TrumpChina Releases Video of Encounter With US Aircraft Carrier Fighter JetIf Nations Won't Fight Global Warming, Cities Can and Will | OpinionUS Bolsters Israel With Airlift Amid Regional Threats
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
My husband and I moved in with my in-laws because we can't afford a home in Houston. We have zero privacy, but we're saving money.
My husband and I can't afford a starter home in Houston, so we had to move in with his parents. The living arrangement is difficult because we have no privacy, but my in-laws are also helpful. I'm not sure how long we'll be here, but I'm glad this is an option for us as we save money. I never thought I'd find myself arguing about dryer sheets with my mother-in-law at midnight, but that's my new reality. A few years ago, my husband and I moved in with his parents because the rent in Houston was eating into our savings. A "temporary stay" at my in-laws was supposed to be a temporary solution. We estimated six months, tops. Now it's three years, two career changes, and many "Are you still there?" jokes from my sister. Although we're saving money, it comes at a cost, as I've learned you can't hide in a multigenerational household. It's not easy living with my in-laws for this long I feel like I'm always sneaking around. I often creep into the kitchen early in the morning to prepare coffee without waking my mother-in-law up early. Date nights are like an escape plan. My husband and I whisper what we're streaming on Netflix because the television in our room has a wall that my in-laws' closet shares. Our arguments stay half-whispered, half-swallowed. Thin walls are our biggest problem. Irritants become daily tightropes, too. I once found my wet laundry heaped in a basket. There was no note, just a crisply folded pair of jeans that never quite dried. I was annoyed but couldn't say anything. There is a whole choreography to claiming fridge shelves, freezer space, and the prime pantry corner. We also have to label our leftovers in Sharpie so no one "accidentally" eats our takeout after a late night. I realize there are benefits to this living arrangement If you're imagining anarchy, you're on the right track, but that's only half the picture. There are perks that I sometimes forget about. When both my husband and I got COVID, my mother-in-law filled our bedroom doorway with soup, saltines, and bottomless mugs of mint tea. When our toddler threw a tantrum because I cut his toast "incorrectly," my father-in-law leapt into the conversation and calmed him down in the way only granddads can. I have watched my son spend more time with grandparents in one week than I did in a year. I also get cooking lessons from my mother-in-law; she taught me to make tamales on Christmas. We worked together, using her mother's steamer pot, which is older than my marriage. Either way, this is where my family needs to be right now Some days, it's stifling. Other days, it's the only reason we're still afloat. In Houston, starter homes look like luxury listings. This arrangement means our savings account exists at all. It means backup when day care falls through or the car breaks down. It means someone slips a plate of mango slices into my hand when they know I've had a rough day. The American dream needs a rewrite; sometimes it is not a white picket fence but a third fork at the dinner table, an in-law on the couch in the middle of a telenovela, and a sign that you don't have to do it all alone. Do I dream about owning my own place someday? Yeah. I dream of shutting a door and knowing nobody else can hear. But when we finally unpack that last moving box, if we ever do, I will miss the smell of tortillas in the morning, the stories of distant cousins I never met, and the way this messy, chaotic house has quietly taught me that family isn't just who you wed. Read the original article on Business Insider Solve the daily Crossword
Eater
an hour ago
- Eater
Bill Elwell, Legendary Owner of Los Angeles Roadside Stand Bill's Burgers, Dies at 98
Bill Elwell, the owner of legendary San Fernando Valley burger stand Bill's Burgers, died on July 21 at 98 years old. Even late into his 90s, Elwell could be seen manning the flattop grill at his Van Nuys (eventually rezoned to Sherman Oaks) burger stand, flipping chargrilled patties as the line stretched away from its ordering window, down Oxnard Street. Elwell was born in 1926 and raised in the west Ventura neighborhood of Tortilla Flats. Before opening Bill's Burgers, he was in the Army during World War II, worked as a late-night taxi driver, and was a manager at Mission Linen Company. In 1965, Elwell purchased the burger stand that would become Bill's Burgers, which sat on the plot right next door to his job at the time. For the nearly six decades following, Elwell was constantly at the burger stand, serving well-seasoned patties topped with American cheese, iceberg lettuce, freshly sliced tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. The flatop grill, still in use at the stand, dates back to the 1920s or 1930s. Elwell sourced the meat locally from Northridge, and it was ground fresh every morning. Legend has it that he was even spotted eating the patties raw if customers complained about them not being cooked enough. A line on the top of the menu read, 'You can't have it your way, this is not Burger King,' adding to the stand's dry humor. For some time, Elwell ran the stand as Bill & Hiroko's with his now ex-wife, Hiroko Wilcox, whom he met at a bowling alley decades ago. In a 2014 Los Angeles Times article, Elwell mentioned that another of his five ex-wives, Sharon Elwell, still came to the stand to help out a few times a week. At some point, Elwell renamed the stand back to Bill's Burgers, where it weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and Elwell was still in the back flipping burgers. In July 2020, Elwell attempted to sell the business, but no sale ever materialized. As burger trends came and went in Los Angeles, from the crispy-edged smash burgers to thick bistro burgers, Bill's remained the same — a testament to Elwell himself and his longtime customers who kept coming back. In recent years, Elwell's age and consistent ownership have become a story in their own right. Eater LA conducted the first-ever interview on the burger man in 2013 at the age of 86. Over a decade later, virtually nothing had changed in the cash-only business except for the prices, even in the face of rising inflation. In 2011, a basic cheeseburger cost $3.35; by 2018, it had increased to $4.20, and by May 2025, it had risen to just $7. Though often gruff and other times grumpy, Elwell's straightforward persona as perhaps the oldest living burger cook in the country continued without greater coverage from national media. 'Whichever way I make the burger, that's the best way,' Elwell told Eater LA in 2013. 'But I like when people get double cheeseburgers with everything. That's what I'm famous for, I think.' Elwell is survived by his son James Elwell (Valerie) and daughter Charlene Morris, along with his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. A cheeseburger from BIll's Burgers in Los Angeles. Farley Elliott Eater LA All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
My husband and I moved in with my in-laws because we can't afford a home in Houston. We have no privacy, but we're saving money.
My husband and I can't afford a starter home in Houston, so we had to move in with his parents. The living arrangement is difficult because we have no privacy, but my in-laws are also helpful. I'm not sure how long we'll be here, but I'm glad this is an option for us as we save money. I never thought I'd find myself arguing about dryer sheets with my mother-in-law at midnight, but that's my new reality. A few years ago, my husband and I moved in with his parents because the rent in Houston was eating into our savings. A "temporary stay" at my in-laws was supposed to be a temporary solution. We estimated six months, tops. Now it's three years, two career changes, and many "Are you still there?" jokes from my sister. Although we're saving money, it comes at a cost, as I've learned you can't hide in a multigenerational household. It's not easy living with my in-laws for this long I feel like I'm always sneaking around. I often creep into the kitchen early in the morning to prepare coffee without waking my mother-in-law up early. Date nights are like an escape plan. My husband and I whisper what we're streaming on Netflix because the television in our room has a wall that my in-laws' closet shares. Our arguments stay half-whispered, half-swallowed. Thin walls are our biggest problem. Irritants become daily tightropes, too. I once found my wet laundry heaped in a basket. There was no note, just a crisply folded pair of jeans that never quite dried. I was annoyed but couldn't say anything. There is a whole choreography to claiming fridge shelves, freezer space, and the prime pantry corner. We also have to label our leftovers in Sharpie so no one "accidentally" eats our takeout after a late night. I realize there are benefits to this living arrangement If you're imagining anarchy, you're on the right track, but that's only half the picture. There are perks that I sometimes forget about. When both my husband and I got COVID, my mother-in-law filled our bedroom doorway with soup, saltines, and bottomless mugs of mint tea. When our toddler threw a tantrum because I cut his toast "incorrectly," my father-in-law leapt into the conversation and calmed him down in the way only granddads can. I have watched my son spend more time with grandparents in one week than I did in a year. I also get cooking lessons from my mother-in-law; she taught me to make tamales on Christmas. We worked together, using her mother's steamer pot, which is older than my marriage. Either way, this is where my family needs to be right now Some days, it's stifling. Other days, it's the only reason we're still afloat. In Houston, starter homes look like luxury listings. This arrangement means our savings account exists at all. It means backup when day care falls through or the car breaks down. It means someone slips a plate of mango slices into my hand when they know I've had a rough day. The American dream needs a rewrite; sometimes it is not a white picket fence but a third fork at the dinner table, an in-law on the couch in the middle of a telenovela, and a sign that you don't have to do it all alone. Do I dream about owning my own place someday? Yeah. I dream of shutting a door and knowing nobody else can hear. But when we finally unpack that last moving box, if we ever do, I will miss the smell of tortillas in the morning, the stories of distant cousins I never met, and the way this messy, chaotic house has quietly taught me that family isn't just who you wed.
