US B-52 bombers leave for Europe to join NATO drills near Russia
Three US B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers are set to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s maritime exercises across the Baltic Sea.
The US Strategic Command made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the bombers will take part in US European Command’s annual Baltic Operations (BALTOPS).
"Three B-52 Stratofortresses are scheduled to deploy June 2… [to the] United Kingdom to participate in US European Command’s Exercises Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 16 and Saber Strike 16, and US Africa Command’s Just Hammer," the statement read.
During the US-led BALTOPS drills, first held in 1971, some 6,100 maritime, air force and ground troops from 15 NATO member states will engage in various types of operations focused on defending the Baltic region against potential threats.
Swedish and Finnish forces will also take part in this year’s drills that are slated to be held from June 3 to June 19.
The B-52s will take off from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on Thursday and land in Britain’s RAF Fainford station to “train and integrate” with US allies for the third year in a row.
“Integrating strategic bombers with multi-national operations in a variety of scenarios enhances the readiness and capability of US and NATO military forces, which is vital to global security,” Admiral Cecil Haney, US Strategic Command commander, said in a statement Thursday.
The Stratofortresses will also take part in NATO’s Saber Strike drills that are being held in Baltic States-- Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia -- from May 30 to June 22.
The exercises will see around 10,000 troops from 13 NATO countries and some other non-NATO nations perform military operations near Russia borders.
Russia does not look favorably upon the increased presence of NATO troops close to its borders and has pledged to respond accordingly to any threats posed by the alliance.
The dispatching of the bombers comes weeks after a B-52 was destroyed after crashing at the US airbase in the Western Pacific island of Guam.
Currently, the US Air Force is slated to keep active and continue to upgrade its fleet of B-52s until 2040, at which point it would have completed nearly a century of service.
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