Recently, U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-2 Spirits have been deployed to eastern Australia to conduct the first bomber task force mission in more than two years. It should be recalled that the B-2s last arrived in the Oceania country in July 2022 for a Bomber Task Force mission in Amberly.
As communicated by the U.S. Air Force last Tuesday, a number of aircraft (which was not disclosed), support personnel and various equipment arrived at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberly in Queensland, in addition to the 509th and 131st Bomber Wings from Whiteman Air Force Base.
It should be recalled that Bomber Task Force missions operate regularly from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the Diego Garcia Naval Support Facility in the Indian Ocean. However, this deployment is “in support of Pacific Air Forces training efforts with allies, partners and joint forces and strategic deterrence missions,” in terms of the official statement.
Likewise, the deployment of such a Force is part of the simultaneous efforts the U.S. is undertaking to disperse forces in the region. Recently, the Air Force also announced that it will begin exercises in the Pacific next year designed to deter China and “test how” forces will be deployed in the event of a potential conflict. The maneuver is titled REFORPAC, in other words: “back to the Pacific” on a larger scale.
Another example was during March, when two B-52 Stratofortress bombers were deployed to Diego Garcia. In line with this, a B-1B Lancer operating from Guam bombed simulated targets in the Pilsung Range, about 100 miles southeast of Seoul last June.
The presence of U.S. bases in Australia
In this context of reinforcement of the U.S. presence in the Pacific, several air bases are being built in the northern territory of Australia, for a value of almost 450 million dollars. This was confirmed by the Commander of the Pacific Air Forces, General Kevin Schneider, during a press conference on a visit to the RAAF in Darwin in July.
The construction of such bases includes facilities that can support rotations of U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers to RAAF Tindal. In this regard, any deployment must be coordinated at the highest levels of the Australian and U.S. governments.
In addition, the decision to locate them in this territory means that Tindal and Darwin are closer together. Tindal previously hosted Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters during the biannual Pitch Black maneuvers in July and August, exercises involving 21 countries, 140 aircraft and 4,400 personnel in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
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