The US Air Force deployed four B-52H Stratofortress bombers to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam on January 28 for operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Bomber Task Force from the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, deployed in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts.
“These strategic-deterrence missions reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region,” the air force said.
Bombers are now rotationally deployed to Guam after the US Air Force last year decided to end the Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) mission on the island. April 17, 2020, marked the first time in 16 years that the air force did not have bomber aircraft on Guam.
Just like the dynamic force employment used over the last two years with US Navy aircraft carriers, the bomber redeployment to mainland US is part of the 2018 National Defense Strategy which envisioned defense assets as being “operationally unpredictable but strategically predictable.”
“Deploying as a Bomber Task Force exercises our ability to produce agile, combat power in any location we are needed,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Duff, 96th Bomb Squadron commander. “Our strategic bomber missions demonstrate our always-ready global strike capability. We remain ready to deploy to reach anywhere in the world at any time.”
“Bomber Task Force deployments also provide our Airmen opportunities to train and work with our allies and partners in realistic, joint coalition operations and exercises,” said Duff. “It ensures that we continue to maintain the highest level of proficiency and readiness.”
Airmen and B-52H Stratofortress bombers last deployed from Barksdale AFB to Guam in December 2018 in support of Bomber Task Force operations.
