US deploys B-1 bombers to Norway to send message to Russia

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Four US Air Force B-1 bombers and approximately 200 Dyess Air Force personnel in Texas are deployed to Orland Air Force Base in Norway, and within the next three weeks missions will begin in the Arctic Circle. and in international airspace off northwest Russia, according to several defense officials.

Until now, military missions over the Arctic have largely been organized outside the UK. The movement of forces much closer to Russia means the United States will be able to respond more quickly to possible Russian aggression, officials say.

“Readiness and our ability to support our allies and partners and to respond quickly are critical to a combined success,” said General Jeff Harrigian, commander of the US air forces in Europe and Africa.

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In recent months, the Pentagon has operated similar groups of B-52 bombers in the Middle East to demonstrate the ability of the United States to quickly move military assets to potentially tense areas. These bomber missions take weeks to plan, so Norway’s deployment has been underway for some time, officials say.

President Joe Biden has already shown that he is prepared to take a tougher approach in Moscow than under his predecessor, Donald Trump. He held his first appeal late last month with Russian President Vladimir Putin and confronted him with a range of issues ranging from a recent massive cyberattack to the alleged poisoning of the country’s main opposition figure. .

The Department of Defense is deeply concerned about Russian military measures aimed at blocking potential access to the Arctic for natural resources and maritime access as it continues to militarize the Arctic region.

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“Recent Russian investments in the Arctic include a network of offensive air assets and coastal missile systems,” warned Barbara Barrett, secretary of the air force under the Trump administration when the army air made public how it would treat the Arctic last summer. The United States believes that Russia considers maintaining its own access to the Arctic increasingly vital with nearly 25% of its gross domestic product coming from hydrocarbons north of the Arctic Circle, Barrett said.

A Russian fighter jet flew low near the USS Donald Cook, a naval destroyer, in international waters of the Black Sea last month.

The United States Navy regularly sails these waters to send the message that it will maintain maritime access to the region.

The encounter was relatively minor, but the Navy issued a statement saying that “the unnecessary proximity of the Russian Su-24’s actions was incompatible with good air control and with international norms and standards.” The U.S. Sixth Fleet is committed to maintaining freedom of movement in international waters for all. Black Sea nations. “

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