U.S. Sends B-52s Over East China Sea On 'Routine Training' Exercise

A B-52 bomber sits on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. island territory of Guam on Jan. 15., 2019. U.S. AIR FORCE

Japan Times: Amid trade and military tensions, U.S. sends B-52s over East China Sea on 'routine training' exercise

The U.S. Air Force has sent two B-52 bombers over the East China Sea for “routine training” near Okinawa Prefecture, the military has said, the latest mission in the waterway that is home to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands.

The B-52 bomber mission was part of so-called continuous bomber presence operations by the U.S., which the military says “have been ongoing since March 2004” and “are consistent with international law and United States’ long-standing and well-known freedom of navigation policies.”

The exercise also came just ahead of high-level U.S.-China talks scheduled for Wednesday in Washington aimed at finding a solution to a trade war that has cast a growing shadow over the world’s top two economies.

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Update: US Air Force Flies 2 B-52H Bombers Over East China Sea (The Diplomat)

WNU Editor: This is the new normal in this part of the world.