RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, returned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, as they concluded Bomber Task Force 24-2 at Morón Air Force Base, Spain, April 23.
During their mission home, the bombers integrated with Typhoons from the United Kingdom. They conducted escort training with their Allies before leaving the theater. All training objectives were achieved.
During the month-long deployment, which kicked off March 24 the B-1Bs and supporting personnel conducted several missions to train alongside Allies and partners across the European region, including the Czech Republic, Greece, Türkiye, and the U.K.
“This deployment was another excellent opportunity for U.S. forces to demonstrate our ability to operate in conjunction with our Allies and partners to enhance our combined strength,” said Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO Allied Air Command. “It’s critical to bolstering our extended deterrence and defense network and capable of decisively meeting the security challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Through these missions, USAFE-AFAFRICA enables dynamic force employment in the European theater, providing strategic predictability and assurance for Allies and partners, while contributing to deterrence by introducing greater operational unpredictability for potential adversaries.
“To safeguard global stability, it is vital to maintain a combat force proficient in multi-domain operations. Deployments like this allow us to integrate and train across the area of responsibility with the host nation and regional forces, thereby enhancing communication and establishing best practices for more effective agile bomber operations,” said Lt. Col. Ryan Stillwell, 9th EBS commander. “The Agile Combat Employment framework in concert with our Allies and partners, aims to form an integrated and cohesive combined joint team, poised equipped and trained to swiftly counter any security concerns or adversary aggression.
BTF 24-2 is a routine part of Large-Scale Global Exercise 2024, an umbrella term that incorporates dozens of separate exercises and military activities, under multiple combatant commands, that enable the U.S. Joint Force to train with Allies and partners and improve shared understanding, trust and interoperability on security challenges across the globe.
For more information, please contact the U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa Public Affairs office at usafepao.pao@us.af.mil or, after hours, at usafepa.pastaffdutyofficer@us.af.mil.