The United States military has increasingly employed “elephant walks” to show off its aerial capabilities and as a training tool to ensure combat readiness. The most recent demonstration of “regional deterrence” occurred at Kadena Air Base earlier this week, when the 18th Wing assembled “one of the most diverse formations of U.S. military aircraft in the Indo-Pacific.”

The base, located on Okinawa and known as the “Keystone of the Pacific,” conducted a joint elephant walk that included U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy aircraft that regularly operate from the facility, along with U.S. Army MIM-104 Patriot air-defense missile batteries. 

According to the base, it highlighted “the strength of America’s integrated air and missile defense and its commitment to joint operations.”

The first Elephant Walk occurred during the Second World War, when large fleets of Allied bombers massed for attack. Observers on the ground noted that as the aircraft lined up, they resembled the nose-to-tail formations of elephants walking to a watering hole. 

Since then, military elephant walks have been........

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