ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Approximately 200 U.S. Air Force Airmen and 4 U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers with the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (EBS) returned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, as they concluded their Bomber Task Force deployment at Andersen AFB, Guam, Nov. 22.
BTF missions enable Airmen to continuously conduct operations throughout the world at a moment’s notice to help maintain global stability and security while enabling units to become familiar with operations in different regions.
“Our Airmen gained a very unique perspective and had the chance to train with various agencies, partners and countries that we typically don’t work alongside on a regular basis at home,” said 9th EBS director of operations. “Being deployed to the Indo-Pacific helps us to reinforce to our allies that we are here to train, fight and defend the strategic importance of this region.”
While deployed to Guam, 9th EBS Airmen also participated in Operation Keen Sword during the BTF. Keen Sword was a tactical and operational level exercise that helps develop and improve joint and bilateral interoperability while enhancing combat readiness of the Japan and U.S. Air Forces. As part of the BTF, they also participated in a joint interoperability exercise that focused on operational-level, joint force movements, specifically involving defense of high value assets, maritime interdiction and airfield seizure. “Participating in both of those exercises was highly important,” the director said.
“Any future scenario we may find our military involved in within the Indo-Pacific region is going to be a combined effort amongst assets and personnel from various countries, military branches and entities. Those exercises enabled us to hone our joint skillsets in order to successfully meet any objectives.”
Each mission allowed the Airmen to gain essential experience that they can take back to their home squadrons. The aircrews learned how to operate in a different region through new training scenarios that will provide effective support for combatant commanders in the Indo-Pacific region.
The maintainers worked long hours and tackled advanced troubleshooting and environmental challenges which ensured the completion of all higher headquarters directed BTF flying missions.
“For many maintenance Airmen, this was their first time executing one of these deployments,” said the 9th EBS maintenance officer in-charge.
“My personnel saw first-hand how their efforts contributed directly to mission success. This experience will give them the ability to pass on lessons learned to Airmen in future BTF rotations.”
Through BTF missions, the U.S. remains a reliable partner committed to protecting and preserving the multi-national, multi-ethnic and multi-religious tapestry of the diverse Indo-Pacific region.
“This deployment showcased our ability to establish dynamic force employment at a moment’s notice, ensuring our allies and partners that we are here to deter and protect,” the director said. “We wouldn’t have been able to accomplish all that we did without our maintainers and the flexibility of the whole team.”