{"id":1516227,"date":"2022-06-15T06:34:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T10:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1516227"},"modified":"2022-06-15T06:36:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T10:36:14","slug":"latest-b-1-bomber-task-force-deployed-in-guam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/latest-b-1-bomber-task-force-deployed-in-guam\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest B-1 Bomber Task Force Deployed in Guam"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flatest-b-1-bomber-task-force-deployed-in-guam%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1516227&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"share-buttons for-small\">\n<p>          <span class=\"share-label\">Share Article<\/span>\n        <\/div>\n<p>ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam\u2014U.S. and Japanese pilots exchanged silent high fives from their respective cockpits during the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/News\/Article-Display\/Article\/3059131\/b-1b-lancers-deploy-to-andersen-afb-for-bomber-task-force-mission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bomber task force mission to Guam<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking to any ally or partner out there, the procedures are standard\u2014everything\u2019s the same,\u201d said Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Carter, a B-1 pilot deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, from the 34th EBS at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel like I\u2019m working with one person or one country versus another. It\u2019s just, we\u2019re all up there,\u201d Carter said on the flight line at Andersen next to one of the four B-1s that deployed recently and have been exercising with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Other partners and allies are to follow in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we see each other through the cockpit windows, and we\u2019re just doing our high-fives and fist bumps in the air, it seems like you\u2019re just flying with someone else in your squadron,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd that\u2019s kind of, I think, the biggest improvement with all this integration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In April 2020, the Air Force announced that it would stop its continuous bomber presence outside the continental United States, ending a 16-year run at Andersen. Since then, however, B-1s\u2014with their three weapons bays and supersonic speeds\u2014have made regular return visits on rotating bomber task force missions ranging from one to three months.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Practicing Pacific Skills<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>On a recent afternoon, two of the weapons bays on a B-1 were equipped with fuel tanks carrying 20,000 pounds each, capable of extending the flight time of the bomber over the vast distances of the Pacific.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><figcaption>Capt. Jack Maliska of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, describes the two 20,000-pound fuel tanks loaded into the weapons bay of a B-1 Lancer. Staff photo by Abraham Mahshie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Even with the capacity to fly longer distances without refueling, crews typically refuel from a tanker multiple times on the 17-hour flight from Ellsworth to give younger Airmen the opportunity to practice aerial refueling. <\/p>\n<p>Since the 34th EBS arrived, Airmen have also practiced addressing the unique challenges posed by the Pacific theater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach region has its own nuances, where it just takes a different set of skills or processes to get to the right answer more efficiently,\u201d said Carter, noting the different airspace, constructs, and international rules to follow. Other crew members noted how sudden rain showers during the coming typhoon season in Guam can double the stopping distance on the runway.<\/p>\n<p>Carter explained how flying over the Pacific Ocean is not as disconnected from headquarters as it once was.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrossing these vast distances doesn\u2019t seem as large or daunting anymore because of the amount of control, the amount of touch points you have,\u201d he said, acknowledging the benefit of satellite communication. \u201cSo, you\u2019re not really alone, and not afraid anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Allies Unite to Deter China<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>As China continues to rapidly grow its military capacity with a powerful defense manufacturing sector, the U.S.\u2019s Pacific allies are increasingly integrating to keep up. That is especially true for a capability only provided by the U.S. Air Force: manned bombers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCountries are interested in doing some bomber missions with us,\u201d Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach said during an interview at PACAF headquarters at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do a lot of bomber missions with the Japanese,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve done some bomber missions with other countries in the region, and we\u2019re trying to expand that as we go forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-1024x768-1.jpg\" alt=\"bomber task force\" class=\"wp-image-156077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-1024x768-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-300x225-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-768x576-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-1536x1152-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-2048x1536-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-550x413-1.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-600x450-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.airforcemag.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/IMG-9537-1000x750-1.jpg 1000w\" \/><figcaption>Lt. Col. Jeffrey Carter, a B-1 pilot deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, describes the motivation of working with allies in the Pacific. Staff photo by Abraham Mahshie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Zack Cooper, research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview that Guam\u2019s standoff location from China, in the second island chain, makes it an ideal location to host bombers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBombers and fighters need very different runways\u2014they need different support systems,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cAs far as the bomber force goes, it means probably more focus for the Air Force on larger facilities that are a little bit further away, so places like Guam make a fair amount of sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anderson has four total runways. Its two main runways are 10,500 feet and 11,200 feet in length, while the newer northwestern runways, used for practicing austere exercises, are 4,200 feet and 9,000 feet. The B-1 requires about 8,000 feet to land.<\/p>\n<p>Retired Lt. Gen. David A.\u00a0Deptula, dean of AFA\u2019s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, helped to establish the continuous bomber presence on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcemag.com\/article\/0704airpower\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Guam in 2004<\/a>, but he now believes the bomber task force (BTF) concept is proving efficient for the Air Force.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was expensive,\u201d he said of maintaining a continuous bomber presence so far from the mainland.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey figured with these bomber task forces, they can fly in a more random nature,\u201d Deptula added. \u201cIt\u2019s also one of the strengths that you can home-base your bombers in the continental United States, but you can forward-deploy them, if necessary, pretty rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wilsbach said that while Guam is the typical site for BTF missions, they can be done from other locations in the Pacific, such as Australia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll have some other places that we can do bomber task force missions,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bomber missions have been going pretty well in the Pacific.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Capt. Jack Maliska, also deployed with the 34th EBS, said the Air Force\u2019s concept of agile combat employment, or operating from austere locations, and the BTF concept both serve as a foundation for working with partners and allies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFlexibility is always the key to air power,\u201d Maliska said. \u201cGoing forward, we\u2019re helping build that foundation. It\u2019s only going to help build that rapport. \u201c<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share Article ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam\u2014U.S. and Japanese pilots exchanged silent high fives from their respective cockpits during the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron\u2019s bomber task force mission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1516227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1516227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1516227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1516227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1516227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}