For the first time this year, the US Air Force (USAF) has deployed an undisclosed number of Rockwell B-1B Lancer supersonic-capable strategic bombers to Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) in Guam as part of the latest Bomber Task Force (BTF) mission to the highly tense Indo-Pacific region.
The bombers – which belong to the 34th Bomb Squadron (BS) ‘World Famous Thunderbirds’ at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, but have deployed under the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) moniker – arrived at the Guam base on February 1. As the aircraft arrived in the near-region, they were joined by USAF-operated Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptors and F-35A Lightning IIs from the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) before carrying out a bilateral training mission near the Yellow Sea.
According to the USAF, this BTF mission will help to further demonstrate the B-1B’s ability to be rapidly deployed to provide global strike support to regional combatant commanders across the globe. It currently remains unclear as to how long the 34th EBS will be deployed to Andersen AFB, from which the bombers and their crews will take part in several training missions with regional allies in the Indo-Pacific.
Commenting on this latest deployment, Lt Col Jeffrey Carter – Director of Operations for the 34th EBS – said: “I, along with the entire 34th [EBS], am excited to be back in the region working alongside our allies and partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. Our mission here plays a crucial role in ensuring this dynamic region is free from coercion and accessible to everyone. The ‘World Famous Thunderbirds’ have a great history, and we look forward to building upon that legacy during this deployment.”
While USAF BTF missions to the Indo-Pacific 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. It also comes after North Korea fired the most ballistic missiles in a single year since Kim Jong-Un, the nation’s supreme leader, rose to power in 2011. In addition, such deployments come as China maintains its solidarity with Russia as it continues to wage war on Ukraine. The B-1Bs arrived in Guam just days before a USAF F-22A Raptor was used to shoot down a Chinese-made high-altitude balloon, which was believed to be conducting surveillance on a number of military facilities across the continental US.
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 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.
The B-1B was deployed to Guam on three separate BTF missions in 2022. During which, the bomber carried out aerial integration training with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and hot pit refuelling operations with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at RAAF Base Darwin. Similar training and integration activities will take place during this ongoing deployment.
