Feedback has been “tremendous” on the just-concluded training deployment of B-2 and B-52 bombers to RAF Fairford, England, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, on Tuesday. Speaking at an AFA-sponsored event in Arlington, Va., Wilson said he expected the Air Force to start rotating bombers more frequently to Europe, Asia, and other regions. “This is about building habitual training relationships,” he said. Following the roundtrip training flights of two B-2s from Missouri to South Korea in March 2013, Wilson said service leadership discussed how exercise cutbacks due to budget sequestration had affected readiness in the bomber force, and how to make sure training gaps did not persist. Wilson said the Air Force has since put in place a mechanism that guarantees bombers will regularly deploy forward for training. This mechanism ensures regular deployments to the various geographic combatant commands’ areas of responsibility every year. “We don’t have the luxury of time to get ready,” said Wilson. “We can’t just be current, we have to be proficient,” he said.
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
