America has put on an ominous nuclear bomber capability show of force - in response to heightened tensions with Russia. The US Air Force say a so-called elephant walk of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers this month is "a reminder that the 509th Bomb Wing and the 131st Bomb Wing are ready to execute their missions of executing nuclear operations and global strike, anytime, anywhere."
Airmen participated in the exercise at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, which saw eight of the heavy strategic bombers on display. A Whiteman AFB statement explains: "As the National Defense Strategy shifts with a heightened focus on major power competition between the U.S. and our near-peers the B-2’s role in deterrence only grows in importance."
Col. Geoffrey Steeves, 509th Operations Group commander, said: "The B-2 stealth bomber has never been more relevant than it is now. It was conceived at the height of the Cold War but fielded at the same time the Soviet Union dissolved and the Berlin Wall fell. "Now, 30 years later the B-2 finds itself in the world for which it was created strategic competition."
The Spirit Vigilance training exercise focused on "enhancing the lethality and increasing the readiness" of the Airmen who support and execute the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber mission.
Col. Steeves said: “This is a reminder that the B-2 Spirit bomber is the visible leg of nuclear triad. Simply put, the B-2 is the world's most strategic aircraft. It is the only aircraft on the planet that combines stealth, payload, and long-range strike. We are charged with delivering the nation’s most powerful weapons for our most important missions.”
