A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit taxi in preparation for an integrated bomber mission at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Aug.17, 2016.
This mission marks the first time in history that all three of Air Force Global Strike Command’s strategic bomber aircraft are simultaneously conducting integrated operations in the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. As of Aug. 15, the B-1 Lancer will be temporarily deployed to Guam in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s Continuous Bomber Presence mission.
Additionally, three B-2s arrived on August 9 to conduct local sorties and regional training with partner nations, according to the statement.
“This was the first time all three bombers flew a formation pass over Andersen Air Force Base, dispersed and then simultaneously conducted operations in the South China Sea and Northeast Asia,” the US Pacific Command (PACOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The mission is intended to demonstrate the US commitment to global security and ability to launch a credible strategic defense force, commander Brig. Gen. Douglas Cox explained.
Approximately 360,000 US military personnel are assigned to PACOM’s area of responsibility, which the command says includes about half the globe and 50 percent of the world’s population, stretching from India to California and Antarctica to the North Pole.
