Three Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit Stealth Heavy Strategic Bombers deployed from the U.S. Air Force 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia to support Pacific Air Forces’ Bomber Task Force missions, Aug. 11. U.S. Strategic Command routinely conducts Bomber Task Force (BTF) operations across the globe. The 29-hour sortie demonstrated continued U.S. commitment to allies and partners by showcasing their ability to deliver lethal, ready, long-range strike options to geographic combatant commanders anytime, anywhere.
“We are excited to return to this important. (NSF) Diego Garcia puts the ‘INDO’ in U.S. Indo-Pacific Command,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Conant, BTF commander. “This Bomber Task Force is our National Defense Strategy in action. We are sharpening our lethality while strengthening relationships with key allies, partners and our sister-service teammates. Despite a global pandemic, the Airmen of Whiteman Air Force Base and Air Force Global Strike Command stand ready to support INDOPACOM and the Department of Defense in achieving our nation’s strategic objectives.”
The last B-2 Spirit BTF deployed to INDOPACOM was in January 2019 from the 393rd Bomb Squadron from Whiteman AFB. Three B-2 Spirits and approximately 200 Airmen deployed to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. During that BTF deployment, the B-2s flew 27 sorties for a total of 171 hours in multiple local and long-duration missions, conducted hot-pit refueling training and accomplished eight integrated sorties with the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Fighter Squadron F-22 Raptors.
Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia is a British Ministry of Defence facility leased to the United States Navy, located on the atoll Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia provides Base Operating Services to tenant commands located on the island. The command’s mission is “To provide logistic support to operational forces forward deployed to the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf AORs in support of national policy objectives.” Flying and notable non-flying units based at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.
