Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group conducted a bilateral mission with a B-1B Lancer and aircraft from Japan's Self-Defense Force near Japan last week, the Air Force said on Tuesday.
The B-1 on Aug. 7 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and integrated with eight F-2s and six F-15s from the Japan's Air Self-Defense Force, in what the Air Force described as "the vicinity of Japan."
The B-1 also conducted joint war training at sea with the Reagan strike group in the Sea of Japan, Air Force officials said.
"Opportunities to train alongside our joint partners and allies in the region are an invaluable experience for our Airmen," Lt. Col. Lincoln Coleman, 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander, said in a statement.
"Not only are we able to highlight our continued commitment to our allies, but it also increases our ability to integrate with one another and strengthen our combined capabilities," Coleman said.
B-1s are deployed to Guam from South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base to conduct long-range, long-duration Bomber Task Force missions, giving crews the chance to train with allies and partners in a joint environment, the Air Force said.
