Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel Defended the Inclusion of Stealth Bombers in Joint U.S.-South Korean Military Drills Thursday

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the inclusion of two nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers in military drills involving joint U.S.-South Korean forces was not an intended provocation of North Korea.  The two stealth craft flew to the South from Missouri and dropped dummy munitions on a South Korean island range, then immediately flew back to the U.S.

The mock bombing is sure to prompt a response from the North, which has recently threatened to turn the South into a “sea of fire”. However, Secretary Hagel insists that the addition of the aircraft was meant to signal the United States’ commitment to honor treaty obligations and defend the South.