![US Air Force deploys F-35A fighter jets to Japan](https://media.newstracklive.com/uploads/latest-news/world-news/Feb/24/big_thumb/F35fighter_6217769fcb69a.jpg)
SEOUL: The US military announced on Thursday that it has sent an undefined number of F-35A radar-evading fighters to Japan, in an apparent move to bolster deterrence against an aggressive China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.
The US Indo-Pacific Command claimed on its website that F-35As from Alaska's 354th Fighter Wing were deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, on Sunday to perform "integrated air operations." According to media reports, the fighters arrived after the US military deployed four B-52 nuclear-capable bombers to Guam earlier this month to bolster training activities with allies and partners.
"Their arrival symbolises the US Indo-Pacific Command's ongoing endeavour to hone its warfighting capabilities through flexible combat employment, which supports the National Defense Strategy to produce a more lethal, agile, and resilient force," according to the command.
According to the statement, the US Air Force "uses a flexible theatre posture" to "assist our allies and partners in a free and open Indo-Pacific theatre." The United States has recently shown its military might by transferring significant military assets to the Indo-Pacific area.
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