The 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea, conducted a no-notice combat readiness exercise to test the base’s ability to defend the peninsula at a moment’s notice last week. “We conduct multiple operational readiness exercises every year to hone that edge of readiness,” 8th FW inspector general Lt. Col. Scott Siegfried said in a release. Beverly Pack 16-2 included a quick-launch F-16 sortie generation exercise with 20 aircraft, and “simulated incoming theater ballistic missile attacks” as well as chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological threats, he added. Though the exercise was pre-planned, North Korea has escalated tensions in the region with a nuclear test last month, followed by a ballistic missile launch earlier this week. “The mentality of being ready around-the-clock is critical … to stand strong regardless of the circumstances and defend the Republic of Korea,” said Siegfried. The readiness exercise ran Feb. 2-6.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
