021021_HDH_People

US deploying B-1 bombers to Norway to send a message to Russia

The U.S. Air Force is deploying B-1 bombers to Norway for the first time in a move that sends a clear message to Moscow that the U.S. military will operate in the strategically important Arctic region and demonstrate that it will defend allies in the area against any Russian aggression close to the country’s border. Four U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and approximately 200 personnel from Dyess Air Force in Texas are being deployed to Orland Air Base in Norway, and within the next three weeks, missions will begin in the Arctic Circle and in international airspace off northwestern Russia, according to multiple defense officials. Until now, military missions over the Arctic had been largely staged out of the United Kingdom. The movement of forces much closer to Russia means the U.S. will be able to react more quickly to potential Russia aggression, officials say. “Operational readiness and our ability to support allies and partners and respond with speed is critical to combined success,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa.