An undisclosed number of B-1B Lancers arrived at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Oct. 18 tfor a bomber task force mission in the Indo-Pacific, Pacific Air Forces announced.
The B-1B crews from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., will take part in “several” training missions during their deployment, integrating with allies while doing so, PACAF said in a statement.
Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing began arriving in Guam several days earlier, according to images posted by PACAF.
This marks the second time in 2022 that B-1s have landed on Guam. In June, the 28th Bomb Wing sent four B-1s on a bomber task force rotation that included training exercises with the Japanese and Australians. That rotation ended in early July.
“Bomber Task Force deployments and missions provide key assurances and cooperation with joint and partner Allies in the region,” Lt. Col. Daniel Mount, 37th Bomb Squadron director of operations, said in a statement. “The B-1 is an especially capable platform in this region, being able to travel large distances and bear significant firepower with precision and standoff munitions.”
Almost exactly a year ago, B-1s from Ellsworth deployed to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia for the first time in 15 years.
But the B-1 isn’t the only bomber that has been deployed to the Indo-Pacific lately—the Air Force sent four B-2s to Australia in July. Those B-2s stayed in the region until August, conducting multiple training exercises.
Air Force leaders have stressed in the past that bomber task force deployments are planned in advance. But the B-1s’ arrival in Guam comes amid increasing tension in the region, especially between the U.S. and North Korea, which has conducted a barrage of missile tests recently and flown warplanes near the border with South Korea.
China’s ruling Communist Party, meanwhile, is in the midst of its congress, which takes place every five years, and leader Xi Jingping has called for faster military development and “reunification” with Taiwan, leading some, including Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, to express concerns that the Chinese may be speeding up their timeline to seize the island.