Three B-2 Stealth Bombers Have Deployed To Guam In Support of U.S. Pacific Command’s Bomber Assurance and Deterrence Mission

January 11, 2018 Military Aviation
David Cenciotti
A B-2 Spirit, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, taxis on the flightline Jan. 8, 2018, at Andersen (AFB), Guam. Approximately 200 Airmen and three B-2 Spirits from Whiteman AFB, Missouri, deployed to Andersen AFB in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s (PACOM) Bomber Assurance and Deterrence mission. U.S. Strategic Command bombers regularly rotate through the Indo-Pacific region to conduct U.S. PACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability. During this short-term deployment, the B-2s will conduct local and regional training sorties and will integrate capabilities with key regional partners, ensuring bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Smoot)

The U.S. Air Force has just deployed three B-2 Spirits stealth bombers to Guam.

Three B-2 Spirit strategic stealth bombers along with approximately 200 Airmen belonging to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, were deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s (PACOM) Bomber Assurance and Deterrence mission.

The stealth bombers, are due to be involved in what the U.S. Pacific Command defined a “short-term deployment” during which they will conduct “local and regional training sorties, and will integrate capabilities with key regional partners, ensuring bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency.”

A B-2 Spirit, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, taxis on the flightline Jan. 8, 2018, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Approximately 200 Airmen and three B-2 Spirits from Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB), Missouri, deployed to Andersen AFB in support of U.S. Pacific Command’s (PACOM) Bomber Assurance and Deterrence mission. U.S. Strategic Command bombers regularly rotate through the Indo-Pacific region to conduct U.S. PACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability. During this short-term deployment, the B-2s will conduct local and regional training sorties and will integrate capabilities with key regional partners, ensuring bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency (Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Smoot) .

Interestingly, the B-2s have joined the “several” B-1B Lancers deployed to Guam to support the U.S. Pacific Command’s (USPACOM) Continuous Bomber Presence mission. The Bones (using the nickname popular among their aircrews) have been involved in several shows of force around the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, but they can’t carry any kind of nuclear weapon. So, the B-2 deployment in the region brings a nuclear bomber capability closer to North Korea.

Still, it must be noticed that the U.S. Strategic Command bombers regularly rotate through the region to conduct U.S. PACOM-led air operations, providing leaders with deterrent options to maintain regional stability. The B-2s periodically perform round-trip missions from their homebase in Missouri, from where they have already proved to be able to hit targets located anywhere across the world. The last time the B-2s deployed to Guam was in August 2016 when the 509th BW conducted another short-term deployment: exploiting the presence of both the B-52 Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit, on Aug. 17, 2016, the U.S. Air Force was able to launch the bomber trio in an unprecedented coordinated operation in the U.S Pacific Command AOR (Area Of Operations). The three aircraft launched in sequence from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, performed a flyover and then dispersed to conduct simultaneous operations in the South China Sea and Northeast Asia.

Two of the three B-2s that are currently in Guam departed on Jan. 7, 2017 and arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on Jan. 8 using radio callsigns MYTEE 21, MYTEE 22.  What would’ve been MYTEE23 went tech so it arrived on Jan. 9 alone.

H/T to our friend @AircraftSpots for providing additional details about the deployed bombers.

About David Cenciotti
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David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

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10 Comments

  1. A formidable rival to the PAK DA. Wait, I forgot. There is no PAK DA! More Russian delusion.

    You can play games at the Olympics Kim, but B-2 don’t know how to ski. That’s not why it’s now in the region. Remember that as you try to ply the ROK and U.S. apart. As you stall for time to fine tune your nuclear capabilities. The U.S. doesn’t have to fine-tune anything. Our nuclear forces are the Rolex of atomic striking-power. All President Trump has to do is push that “BIGGER” button on his desk and then … no more cheese for you!

    The DPRK must give up their nukes or a pre-emptive attack is all but assured. B-2 will lead the way, with F-22 and F-35 not far behind. B61? Easily locked and loaded. They will be if U.S. DEFCON rises.

    • You know your strategic bombers were deployed much closer to the North Korean borders last year than just somewhere far away in the Pacific, did it force NK to give up its nuclear weapons? I don’t think so. It just forced them to do more missile tests where one of their missile even overflew the Japan. Not just that tax payers money were obviously wasted not in the right way, but it had completely opposite effect than it supposed to has.

      The B-2 won’t lead anything, not when there is Russia and China around. They won’t allow anyone use nukes near their borders, they know this may cost lives of millions among them also South Koreans and Japanese and lead to something even bigger, what warmongers like you do not realize.

      • I think the point of Leroy’s blabbering is just to provoke and gather Intel.. a true troll.

        • Too bad it’s not in interest of admins moderate such provocative posts more strictly since it is obvious this website became a target of desperate Russophobes who bring tons of bs here. That’s of course a shame considering the articles here are nice and informative.

      • We’ll decide when and where our B-2 fleet attacks. Russia? Remain on the sidelines or have your units destroyed! Our F-35s and F-22s will have no problem shooting down your Su-30s, Su-35s, MiG-29s, and whatever manner of 4th gen junk you might foolishly decide to send over. Your armed forces are irrelevant, and as such they’d be quickly swept aside.

        • Leroy, we know this is not gonna happen. Firstly, this is a matter of Russia and China, only they can force NK to change its attitude, not the United States. Neither Russia or China will tolarate any stupid sh*t and blatant attempts to start a military conflict near their borders, so better continue in the diplomatic way and stay on your soil! Forget to use the military power, since any of your unpremeditated war acts would lead to consequences that would be too much to handle for you. F-22/35? Tell us how they will defend you against 1700 nuclear warheads, deployed at any time, that can reach the U.S. soil just in couple of minutes. Luckyli, not everyone in the U.S. has such delusional mind like you, otherwise we would be already in a WW3.

          • If Russia or China were to attack the U.S. with nuclear missiles then they too would be destroyed by our nuclear arsenal. All to save North Korea? Somehow I doubt Putin or Xi will make that tradeoff.

            The U.S. will deal with North Korea in whatever way our national command authorities deem necessary to protect the security of our nation. Neither Russia nor China are superpowers. Only we are. Make note of it in your coloring book. Next to that turtle you colored red!

            • Whatever threatening near Russia or China will have the consequences for you, that’s for sure, especially when you considering to use nuclear weapons, again. This is not just about to save the NK but also millions others that can be victims of your unpremeditated acts as well, including the South Korea and Japan that would be likely the first where NK’s nukes would fell, effectively making your attempts to “save the world” in one big fiasco.

              Neither Russia or China is about to start nuclear war anywhere near U.S. borders, only U.S. is constantly playing with a fire. Remember, when NK’s nukes are such serious threat for the security of your nation, then Russian nuclear arsenal is 1000 times more advanced and powerful! That’s enough to handle any possible adversary, make a note about that.

  3. The likely purpose for only 3 aircraft, with likely only 2 being mission ready, or arriving
    on target, would be to deliver nukes.

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