US F-35s Plan Massive “Show of Force” Near Korean Peninsula

By Kris Osborn

now that 12 F-35A’s have deployed to Japan for a six-month rotation, service officials said.

While service officials describe the move as a routine deployment, called a Theater Security Package, the current tensions with North Korea are by no means lost on the Air Force and other Pentagon planners – who are preparing to demonstrate F-35 power, technology and combat readiness in a series of upcoming exercises.

Pacific Air Forces is now finalizing plans for a wide range of F-35A multi-national collaborative  training events which will, without question, seek to demonstrate possible coordinated attack options using the stealth aircraft, if ordered, over the Korean peninsula.

The 12 F-35s, now based at Kadena Air Base, Japan, arrived from Utah’s 34th Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, officials with Pacific Air Forces said in a statement.

While Marine Corps F-35B aircraft have been deployed to Japan for months, this new deployment is the first US Pacific Command operational tasking for the Air Forces’ F-35A; it is designed to build upon the F-35s debut in the Indo-Asia-Pacific at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition earlier in November, service officials said.

“The F-35A is operational and combat ready, and this F-35 theater security package to the Pacific Command area of responsibility is further proof of the Air Force’s capability to deploy the world’s most lethal fighter anywhere on the planet,” Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff told Scout Warrior.

Interoperability will be a key focus of upcoming exercises, Graff said – a comment of particular relevance in light of the fact that both Japan and South Korea are F-35 Foreign Military Sales customers; Japan already has an F-35 and deliveries to South Korea are slated for 2018.