Air forces wasting funds

I was looking through the photos on an aviation website and saw one listed as a B-52 which had flown from Guam all the way to Japan to do a fly-over at the Misawa Open House. Maybe he had some other stuff to do on the way, but if it was truly just for the air show would it not be a bit of waste, I am sure the B-52 goes through quite a bit of fuel. I am sure the benefit is great for any air force, like recruitment, image etc., but still. Any thoughts from other people.
PS: this is my first new thread so pls don’t shoot me down completely.