Faster, deadlier missiles force US to rethink how and from where it will fight the next war

By Jamie McIntyre

Published May 1, 2020 3:00am ET

Faster, deadlier missiles force US to rethink how and from where it will fight the next war — A Nigerien soldier provides rear security for his squad while they performed a dismounted patrol during Exercise Flintlock 2017 in Diffa, Niger, March 11, 2017. Flintlock exercises strengthen security institutions, promote multilateral sharing of information, and develop interoperability among partner nations in the Trans-Sahara. | U.S. Army photo by Spc. Zayid Ballesteros

In a long-standing ritual meant to showcase America’s “ability to generate combat air power at a moment’s notice,” five long-range B-52 Stratofortress bombers took part last month in a parade of aircraft at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, for what’s known as an “elephant walk.”

The hulking, nuclear-capable Cold War-era bombers were lined up on the runway, nose to tail, with nine other aircraft, including six KC-135 refueling planes and an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone.