JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- In correlation with a Bomber Task Force (BTF) deployment, four U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber aircraft recently returned to Andersen Air Base, Guam, to conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The aircraft deployed from the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana to support U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with joint forces and partners. BTF deployments reinforce U.S. commitment to peace and stability in the region.
“The Air Force is currently working in a complex, dynamic, and sometimes volatile global security environment,” said Col. Mark Dmytryszyn, 2nd BW Commander. “It is our charge to regularly conduct these joint and combined security cooperation engagements across different Geographic Combatant Commands and their areas of operation.”
This BTF deployment focuses on the employment of the B-52 rather than the B-1 Lancer, which has been used in the past.
“These BTF missions demonstrate the strategic credibility and tactical flexibility of our forces to address today’s matters,” said Dmytryszyn. “As an aircraft capable of employing with a wide variety of nuclear and conventional weapons, delivered across a continent-spanning range, employing global joint all-domain command and control systems, the B-52 remains a universally-recognized symbol of America’s assurances to our Allies, our partners, and the world.”
Bomber task force deployments have been a regular occurrence since 2014, providing U.S. Strategic Command an opportunity to evaluate and improve the readiness of strategic assets within the Indo-Pacific region. These BTFs provide a persistent, long-term bomber presence in the Indo-Pacific theater and around the globe.