REUTERS/Andrew Winning
- Twice in just three days, the US sent heavy bombers through the disputed South China Sea, sending a message to US rivals in the region.
- The US did the same last month, sparking criticism in Beijing, which claims the vast majority of the South China Sea.
- Secretary of Defense James Mattis argues that these flights would not mean a thing to anyone if China had not militarized the waterway.
The US Air Force sent B-52H Stratofortress heavy long-range bombers through the South China Sea twice this week, sending a message, intentional or not, to challengers in the region.
A single B-52 bomber assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron conducted training in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean on Sunday, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs told Business Insider on Wednesday. Two days later, another B-52 bomber conducted a training mission in the South China Sea.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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