Having operated from Andersen AFB in Guam since March, four B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers and approximately 190 personnel from the USAF’s 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) have returned home to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana; marking the end of another Bomber Task Force (BTF) deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
While operating from Guam, the 96th EBS – a forward deployed element of the Barksdale-based 96th Bomb Squadron ‘Red Devils’ – was able to support a variety of strategic missions across the Indo-Pacific region. During which, the unit’s four deployed B-52Hs (serials 60-0024; 60-0052; 60-0054 and 61-0015) flew more than 412 operational flight hours across 29 individual sorties, while integrating with four allied partner air arms and 30 joint force aircraft of ten different types. This latest deployment allowed the unit to build partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, refine tactics and techniques in a different operational theater and integrate with the US Navy to help enhance maritime warfare capabilities.
Before the B-52Hs returned to Barksdale on April 26, the bombers were involved in multiple combined training exercises with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). On April 14, a bilateral air exercise between the US and Japan saw two B-52Hs, a pair of KC-135R Stratotankers and four F-35A Lightning IIs integrate with four JASDF-operated F-15J/DJ Eagle fighters over the Sea of Japan. That same day, the deployed B-52Hs also conducted a combined aerial training event with ROKAF F-35As and USAF F-16C/D Fighting Falcons, which were charged with escorting the bombers as they entered the Korean Air Defense Identification Zone.
Commenting on the deployment as a whole, Lt Col Ben Kempen – director of operations for the 96th EBS – said: “We achieved our objectives in the Indo-Pacific through strong partnerships and collaboration with allied nations, demonstrating the collective strength of our team. Our mission was successful in showcasing our readiness to defend international waters, integrate with allies, and deter adversaries in the region.”
While USAF BTF missions to the Indo-Pacific region are not uncommon, these rather routine deployments come as tensions between China and Taiwan continue to rise, prompted by fears that the former is posturing to invade the latter – a threat that has been building for a number of years. This deployment to Guam also came just one month after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down by an F-22A Raptor over the continental US; something which added further pressure to already heightened tensions between the two global superpowers.
USAF BTF missions enable strategic bombers (B-1Bs, B-2As and B-52Hs) to forward deploy to a number of overseas and continental US facilities with the objective of enhancing strategic predictability and operational unpredictability, as was outlined in the US Department of Defense’s 2018 National Defense Strategy. Such deployments are conducted to enhance readiness for a variety of Air Force personnel and train airmen to respond to potential crises or challenges in the region they are operating in. BTF missions typically deploy to Europe or the Indo-Pacific regions.
