A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., taxis at Andersen AFB, Guam, after arriving for a Bomber Task Force deployment, Sept. 10, 2020. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicolas Z. Erwin
Approximately 200 Airmen and four B-1s Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota are deployed to the Pacific in support of the Bomber Task Force employment model.
The task force is deployed to Andersen AFB to support Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces; and strategic deterrence missions to reinforce the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.
Four Air Force B-1B Lancers arrived on Guam on Sept. 10.
The bombers from the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron have been deployed Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces, and strategic deterrence missions to reinforce the rules-based international order in the region.
The 2020 Exercise Valiant Shield, which kicked off Monday, is being held on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Prior to arriving in Guam, two B-1s integrated with Japanese Air Self-Defense Force fighters to conduct escort training in the Sea of Japan while the remainder of the B-1s deployed to Andersen AFB.
“This Bomber Task Force deployment, part of the dynamic force employment strategy, showcases our unwavering commitment to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific while also demonstrating our ability to provide combat power anywhere, anytime,” said Col. David Doss, 28th BW commander.
U.S. Strategic Command routinely conducts BTF operations across the globe as a demonstration of U.S. commitment to collective defense and to integrate with geographic combatant command operations and activities.
Andersen AFB last hosted B-1s in July and August 2020, when bombers from the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, conducted multiple sequenced bilateral missions.
With the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the multi-mission B-1 is 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.