ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A B-1B Lancer flew from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to the vicinity of Japan to conduct integration training with the Koku-Jieitai, or Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), on July 27, 2020.

B-1s are deployed to Guam from Ellsworth AFB, S.D., to conduct long-range, long-duration Bomber Task Force missions, which give aircrews opportunities to train alongside Allies and Partners in a joint environment and build interoperability to bolster their ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The value these sorties have on our team’s confidence and readiness is immense,” said Lt. Col. Lincoln Coleman, Commander of the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. “We know these missions make us more prepared, more agile and most importantly, more lethal.”

During the mission, Koku-Jietai F-2s integrated with the bomber in the vicinity of Japan to enhance bilateral interoperability and mutual readiness between the U.S. and Japan.

“To maintain and strengthen a free and open Indo-Pacific, we, Koku-Jieitai, continue to seek out every opportunity to enhance our capabilities and operations with our Allied teams,” said Koku-Jieitai Lt Col. SHIROTA Takamichi, 204th Fighter Squadron commander. “Regular bi-lateral exercises further enhance each teams’ capabilities and interoperability.”

In line with the National Defense Strategy’s objectives of strategic predictability and operational unpredictability, the U.S. Air Force transitioned its force employment model to enable strategic bombers to operate forward in the Indo-Pacific region from a broader array of overseas and continental U.S. locations with greater operational resilience.

The flexibility and dependability of the multi-mission B-1 help make it the backbone of America's long-range bomber force. It can rapidly deliver massive quantities of precision and non-precision weapons against any adversary, anywhere in the world, at any time.