B-1B bombers from Ellsworth AFB, S.D.,—the base that narrowly escaped the BRAC ax—Monday began replacing B-2 Spirits at Andersen AB, Guam. The 120-day tour for the B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman AFB, Mo., ended. Stateside bomber units have been staging out of Andersen to help maintain a strong US presence in the Pacific. Read here about USAF’s plan for a new strike force on Guam and here for the big picture on the Pacific region.
In a dramatic flare-up in the hostilities between the U.S. and Iran, American forces struck and destroyed five Iranian oil tankers Sept. 8, U.S. Central Command said. Iran retaliated by lobbing ballistic missiles toward a major U.S. base in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.
