Air Force Global Strike Command and Pacific Air Forces partnered to shave an estimated $12 million each year from the cost of B-2A and B-52H rotations to Andersen AFB, Guam, where the United States maintains a continual bomber presence. They’ve done this by changing the logistics set-up for the B-52s that deploy there every six months on average either from Barksdale AFB, La., or Minot AFB, N.D. Until now, each expeditionary B-52 squadron has lugged an enormous trove of spare parts—known as a mobility readiness spares package—with it there and back. Now, officials agreed to permanently position a B-52 MRSP on Guam, standardize the packages at Barksdale and Minot, and also transfer MRSPs by land routes between the two stateside bases. (Barksdale report by Megan Meyer)
NORAD surged two F-35s, two F-16s, and a trio of KC-135s to Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland earlier this month for a “dynamic operational exercise,” testing its ability to rapidly deploy forces in the Arctic.
