Barksdale bombers arrive at Andersen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNS) --  Approximately 300 Airmen from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., deployed here May 30 as part of the rotational bomber deployment here to maintain stability and security in the Western Pacific.

Three Barksdale AFB B-52 Stratofortress arrived here May 30 after a 17-hour flight to support the Pacific region. 

"The mission here is part of the continuous bomber presence that's been going on since 2004," said Lt. Col. David Ballew, the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron commander. "It's a recurring deployment for us."
 
The recurring deployment is shared with B-1B Lancers and B-2 Spirits. The B-2s from Whiteman AFB, Mo., departed after the arrival of the B-52s. 

"The fact that we are in a new environment (can be challenging while we are deployed), but that's what we train to do," said Capt. Brandon Fischer, a 96th EBS aircraft commander and life support officer. "Some of the unique opportunities that we have on this deployment include a vast amount of airspace to train, the chance to integrate and employ with other weapon systems, services and countries, and a variety of training exercises that include long-range precision strike on a continual basis."

Captain Fischer is one of many Airmen who have returned to Guam as part of the continuous bomber presence mission. 

"Each and every one of these individuals who deployed with this squadron have a sense of purpose as far as what they are doing out here," Captain Fischer said. "Even though we may not be involved in direct combat, we can stand ready at all times." 

The 96th EBS Airmen will perform training missions to prepare for real-world missions and they have a chance to integrate training with the F-22 Raptors. 

"We're going to be accomplishing a variety of training," Colonel Ballew said. "The big thing is familiarizing our crews with the Pacific theater of operations. We get a chance to fly maritime interdiction and mining sorties that are hard to get back home. We also fly a lot of long-duration sorties to all parts of the Pacific theater. We get plenty of focused training out here, and we integrate with a lot of our coalition partners and other U.S. platforms already here at Andersen."
 
Part of the training missions will include employment of simulated weapons. The 96th EBS Airmen will use their deployment location to include sorties for training over water and air refueling training. 

Nearly half of the Airmen deployed from Barksdale AFB are assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit.  

"We caught three jets arriving from Barksdale AFB," said Senior Airman Eduardo Negron, a 96th EAMXU crew chief. "We pretty much did the basic requirements and inspections after they landed completing a 17-hour sortie." 

Airman Negron has also returned to Guam for his second deployment in support of continuous bomber presence.He and the rest of the Airmen assigned to the 96th EAMXU are responsible for maintaining three B-52s. 

"The B-52 Stratofortress has been around a long time," Colonel Ballew said. "The jets we are currently flying were all made in 1960s which makes them older than almost all of the crewmembers flying them. It's a pretty unique thing. We are scheduled to keep flying for another 20 or 30 years, so even another generation will get to fly this plane. We like to tell people this is not your mother's B-52. It looks the same on the outside as you might have seen on old footage, but completely reworked on the inside. The B-52 is a very capable platform. We've participated in every U.S. conflict since the plane has been put into service. The plane has a rich heritage, and we like to say that we can shoot or drop just about anything that the Air Force has in inventory." 

The 96th EBS and the 96th EAMXU are scheduled to be here for a four-month deployment.