Chinese Shocked: Dozens F-22 Raptors Enter warzone carry out surprise attack

US Deploys F-22 Raptors From Japan To Mariana Islands As US Air Force Trains For Battle In Contested Environment.

For the first time, an unspecified number of F-22 fighters from the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Japan have been stationed in the Northern Mariana Islands, a strategically important location close to China.

The Raptors are positioned there to participate in Exercise Agile Reaper 23-1 (AR 23-1). The information regarding the deployment was published on the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service website on March 1.

F-22 Raptors will conduct sorties during the seven-day exercise from locations within the Northern Mariana Islands, the statement said. Jammer, the 525th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron commander, said, “This is the first time F-22 have ever been on this island.”

The US Air Force is gathering information and developing tactics, techniques and procedures while going through various training scenarios to educate better how the service fly, fight and win in a modern, contested environment.

Exercise Agile Reaper 23-1 (AR 23-1) was launched on March 1 in Guam and Tinian (a part of the Northern Mariana island chain) by the 3rd Air Expeditionary Wing from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Alaska.

It is an effort by the 3rd Air Expeditionary Wing to practice capabilities in an operationally relevant environment, practice Agile Combat Employment, and offer air dominance, global mobility, and command and control in the Indo-Pacific region.

On November 4, the US Air Force transferred F-22 fighter aircraft to the Kadena Air Base, Japan. That being said, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands serve as well-defended strategic sites necessary for strategic movement into and throughout the INDO-PACOM region.

The US Air Force officers believe that the 3rd Wing training in an operationally relevant environment will improve the service’s capability and preparedness to protect the US and its allies against any prospective adversary, including China, in the region.

Guam And Tinian Are Crucial From A Strategic Perspective
Amid escalating hostilities with China, the United States is rapidly growing its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Guam and Tinian would serve as critical locations for the US military in the event of a conflict.

The Mariana Islands, also called the C N M I, are located at the westernmost point of US territory. As such, the group of islands extends into the Pacific Ocean roughly 4,000 miles west of Hawaii.

The United States has a sizable military presence on Guam (administratively and geographically a part of the Mariana Islands), including Camp Blaz, a new Marine Corps base. It is a new US Marine Corps installation established almost after 75 years and will eventually be home to 5,000 Marines.

In recent years, the Marine Corps focus has switched to countering threats from China. Marines are constantly positioned in the area to dissuade the Chinese military as a part of the Force Design 2030, the comprehensive overhaul of the service devised amid the increased focus on the Indo-Pacific.