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US B-52 Bombers May Go on 24-Hour Alert in Cold War Comeback

CBN

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The U.S. Air Force is preparing to place its fleet of nuclear-armed B-52 bombers on 24-hour alert for the first time since 1991, the military branch's chief of staff said in a report Sunday.

The reason for the alert: escalating tensions with North Korea.

Pentagon officials wouldn't confirm the new details to CBN News, but Gen. David Goldfein told Defense One it could happen.

"This is yet one more step in ensuring that we're prepared," Goldfein said. "I look at it more as not planning for any specific event, but more for the reality of the global situation we find ourselves in and how we ensure we're prepared going forward."

The 24-hour alert status for B-52s ended in 1991, in the waning days of the Cold War.

The B-52, which can fly up to about 50,000 feet and at subsonic speeds, has the ability to release a variety of weapons, including cluster bombs, gravity bombs and precision guided missiles.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is traveling in Asia this week, visiting the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea.

Between Monday and Wednesday, Mattis will take part in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers Meeting in the Philippines, according to the Defense Department.

Mattis told reporters traveling with him he will meet with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, according to a DOD transcript.

Mattis will also discuss North Korea's actions with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea in a trilateral setting at the ASEAN summit.

The defense secretary will then conclude his trip in South Korea, where he will co-chair the 49th annual Security Consultative Meeting amid simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula.

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