B-52s’ BAAD message to China

Two B-52 bombers conducted a nonstop, long-range simulated mission to Australia recently that is part of the Pentagon’s effort to bolster allies in Asia against a growing Chinese threat.

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The B-52s from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, carried out on July 1 what the Pentagon calls a “bomber assurance and deterrence” mission — BAAD for short in military-speak. The simulated bombing run came amid heightened tensions in the nearby South China Sea, where China has been constructing islands and military facilities that threaten the strategic waterway used by ships bound for Northeast Asia. Read more: