Reservists to the Forefront of BUFF Training

Air Force Reserve Command’s 93rd Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La., is assuming the lead for B-52H training under a shift underway in the B-52 fleet. Currently a combat-coded unit, the squadron is transitioning to the B-52 formal training unit, or schoolhouse, Col. Edmund Walker, commander of the AFRC’s 917th Wing, the squadron’s parent unit, told the Daily Report. The squadron’s aircraft complement is expected to grow from eight to 16 by around this summer, with the new assets transferring over from Barksdale’s active duty 2nd Bomb Wing, said Walker. As part of the change, the 2nd BW’s 11th BS, the current B-52 FTU, will become an active associate to the 93rd BS. It will no longer operate its own aircraft. Instead, its aircrews will work in the schoolhouse under the operational direction of the 93rd BS. And, on the maintenance side, airmen of the 2nd BW will work under the Reserve wing’s maintenance group to keep the training aircraft flying. Walker also said Reservist aircrews will form a Reserve associate with the 2nd BW. These Reservists will participate in the conventional and the nuclear-related activities of the active duty wing. They will also deploy with the B-52s.