As part of its new strategy, the U.S. Army announced the deployment of its bombers in western Norway under the pretext of facing possible threats from Russia and China.
For the first time, the U.S. Air Force is stationing a number of strategic bombers on its air base in western Norway.
According to the Star and Stripes site, this American initiative is due to the growing importance of the Arctic region in military strategy. More than 200 Air Force personnel from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, are expected to arrive at Orland Air Force Base with an expeditionary squadron of B1-B Lancer bombers to support possible missions against Russia and China in the region, the U.S. European Command said Tuesday in a statement.
But it did not say when the B1-B Lancer bombers would arrive or how long they would stay at Orland, a base on the country’s west coast where the Royal Norwegian Air Force operates a fleet of F-35A Lightning II fighter jets.
The U.S. Air Force recently unveiled its Arctic strategy, which aims to strengthen its presence in the region and counter threats from Russia and China.
The Russian military recently announced that its MiG-31 fighter intercepted a Norwegian Air Force aircraft over the Barents Sea in northern Norway. The Russian Ministry of Defense explained after a Norwegian Air Force aircraft approached Russian airspace in the Barents Sea, a Russian MiG-31 intercepted it and escorted it out of the area.
The Barents Sea, a tributary of the Arctic Ocean, is bounded to the north by the Svalbard Archipelago (an area under Norwegian control) and to the south by Russia and Norway.
by Xavier Cuesta – European Correspondent – EuroNews