JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Three B-2 Spirit bombers and more than 200 Airmen, from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, deployed, here in support of U.S. Strategic Command’s (USSTRATCOM) Bomber Task Force (BTF) mission, Jan. 10, 2019.

Bomber aircraft regularly rotate through the Indo-Pacific region to integrate capabilities with key regional partners and maintain a high state of aircrew proficiency.

“This training is crucial to maintaining our regional interoperability,” said Lt. Col. Joshua Dorr, 393rd Bomb Squadron director of operation. “It affords us the opportunity to work with our allies in joint exercises and validates our always-ready global strike capability.”

Although the Spirit has trained in the region multiple times in the past, utilizing Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, this deployment marks the second time the Spirit has deployed to JBPH-H supporting the BTF mission.

During the B-2s first deployment to JBPH-H in August 2018, the bomber flew multiple local and long-duration sorties, conducted hot pit refuelings and integrated with the Hawaii Air National Guard 199th Fighter Squadron’s, F-22 Raptors.

“Deploying to Hawaii enables us to showcase to a large American and international audience that the B-2 is on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week ready to protect our country and its allies,” Dorr said.

The B-2s low-observable, or “stealth,” characteristics give it the ability to penetrate an enemy’s most sophisticated defenses and put at risk their most valuable targets, its presence in the Hawaiian Islands stands as a testament to enhanced regional security