The BTF 25-1 deployment is in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with Allies, partners and joint forces as part of the strategic deterrence missions to “reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.”
The United States Air Force commenced a new BTF (Bomber Task Force) deployment in the Indo-Pacific theater, the first of the year, on Jan. 15, 2025, when “multiple” B-1B Lancer strategic bombers arrived at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The aircraft are assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron (34th BS) at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
Pictures released on the DVIDS network suggest the bombers arrived on two different days at Andersen AFB, on Jan. 15 and 17. A total of four bombers appears to have been deployed there, with the first two also conducting a trilateral flight with Japanese and South Korean fighter jets on their way to Guam on Jan. 15.
The deployment has been called “BTF 25-1”, a designation which confirms this is the first Bomber Task Force mission of 2025. It’s unclear how long the deployment will last.
This BTF, while deployed to Guam, could see the B-1Bs flying with Allied air forces of South Korea, Japan and possibly even Australia and Philippines. In fact, the statement mentions the “deployment is in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts with Allies, partners, joint forces and strategic deterrence missions to reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region,” as happened during previous deployments.
The deployment comes amid elevated tensions in the western Pacific with China and North Korea. Russia also has entered the fray, given its shared contiguous maritime zone in its far-east, with increasingly bold and comprehensive naval and aerial drills with Beijing and direct defense industrial and “military technological” cooperation with Pyongyang.
🇺🇸 A pair of B-1B Lancers assigned to the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., arrive at Andersen AFB, Guam, Jan. 15, 2025.
(📸/U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Robert M. Trujillo) pic.twitter.com/V7mgd4G78L
— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) January 22, 2025
“The BTF enables different types of strategic bombers to operate in the Indo-Pacific region from a broad array of overseas and continental U.S. locations with greater operational resilience,” PACAF added, saying that the deployment will “support regional joint events.”
🇺🇸 USAF B-1B Lancers Touch Down in Guam: Exclusive Access ✈️
The 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron just arrived at Andersen AFB for a Bomber Task Force deployment. These strategic bombers are here to support peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. 🌏 💪#B1B #AndersenAFB… pic.twitter.com/IFsO3bHtQq
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— USA Flag Co. (@USAFlagCo) January 20, 2025
B-1Bs land at Andersen AFB
The Air Force did not disclose how many B-1Bs landed at Andersen AFB as a part of the BTF. Generally, such deployments involve two to four bombers, either the B-1B Lancer (or “BONE” as it is commonly known by crews), the B-52 Stratofortess and the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.
One of the images released shows members of the 34th BS and the 37th BS at Ellsworth AFB during a preflight briefing before taking off for the employment. This might suggest that either a single or more B-1Bs and crews from the 37th BS might also be part of the BTF 25-1. Both units already took part in previous BTF missions to Guam.
Another image shows two B-1B Lancers of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (34th EBS) taxiing after the arrival at Andersen AFB, with two other B-1Bs already parked there. This confirms there are four B-1Bs at Andersen for BTF 25-1.
The bombers were refuelled by KC-135 Stratotankers of the 909th Air Refueling Squadron (909th ARS) over the Pacific Ocean on Jan. 15, with at least two refuelers visible in the pictures released.
The bombers require a massive amount of spares and maintenance equipment support, for which usually C-17 Globemaster IIIs from the various mobility wings are flown to the base of the deployment. These are not visible in the pictures, however.
The captions of the photos showing the B-1B bombers’ journey to Andersen said “Bomber missions contribute to joint force lethality and deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific region by demonstrating the U.S. Air Force’s ability to operate anywhere in the world at any time.” Other captions of the bombers parked on Andersen AFB’s flightline said the U.S. Department of Defense “remains fully committed to defense and deterrence of any actors that would look to undermine or threaten our shared interests of the U.S., its allies, or its partners.”
According to a separate release covering an overview of the BTF deployments in the year 2024, the USAF said that, in that year, the 8th Air Force’s B-1Bs, B-52Hs and B-2 Spirit BTFs “have integrated with 23 percent of the world’s military.” In the Indo-Pacific region, BTF deployments are also hosted at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and the Royal Australian Air Force Base at Amberley.
“Our biggest objective is to continue demonstrating our commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific region and to our allies there, showing our dedication to these global relationships,” said Lt. Col. Vanessa Wilcox, BTF commander for the NSF Diego Garcia deployment.
The BTF to Australia, consisting of two B-2 Spirit that landed at Amberley on Aug. 16, 2024 – also the first B-2 BTF mission to Australia since 2022 – saw JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) F-35A Lightning IIs flying with the Spirits for the first time. “The Indo-Pacific BTF missions managed significant logistical challenges, including long-duration flights exceeding 30 hours, which tested and ultimately reinforced the crew’s endurance and operational readiness,” the release added.
“On any given day, we’re actively engaged through bomber task force missions,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, 8th Air Force and Joint-Global Strike Operations Center commander. “In fact, about 60 percent of the year we are deployed to a theater or providing continental U.S. (CONUS) -to-CONUS flights in support of theaters or in support of U.S. Strategic Command and the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
