B-1B Bones Make Unprecedented Bomber Task Force Deployment To Japan
For the first time, U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers are in Japan for a Bomber Task Force rotation. The deployment to Misawa Air Base comes at a time when the Air Force has six B-2 stealth bombers stationed in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, for a significant bomber presence across the Indo-Pacific region. You can read more about the B-2 rotation in this previous story.
The B-1Bs, from the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrived at Misawa on April 15, immediately after having flown a training mission alongside fighters from the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF). The 'Bones' flew over the western part of the Korean peninsula, including Osan Air Base, accompanied by U.S. Air Force F-16s and ROKAF F-35s and F-16s. Initially, two B-1s arrived at Misawa, but more examples may soon join them.
Two Dyess B-1s over Osan AB, South Korea
, April 15th. Likely to be LOFT11 & 12 caught by TheIntelFrog in his post below [USAF Vid] https://t.co/QnRweqaveMpic.twitter.com/YrVvcMeb2g
— Saint1 (@Saint1Mil) April 15, 2025
Air Force bombers in Japan is not an entirely new phenomenon, although they have never previously been there as part of a Bomber Task Force deployment.
In February of this year, B-1s taking part in a Bomber Task Force deployment to Guam landed at Misawa for 'hot-pit' refueling. The method of 'hot pitting' involves keeping the engines running while the aircraft is refueled by ground crews. Sometimes the crews are also switched out. The tactic is useful for increasing sortie rates as well as rapidly refueling, rearming and swapping out a new crew in combat aircraft to get them back in the fight faster. Shutting aircraft down also invites the possibilities of critical equipment failures upon startup. So, for especially complex aircraft, keeping them running and all systems operating allows for better assurance that the asset will stay in play.
In April of 2024, a B-52H touched down at Yokota Air Base in Japan, although in that case it was an unscheduled emergency landing.
As for the Bomber Task Force concept, the Air Force introduced this in 2018 to replace the previous continuous rotational deployments of bombers overseas. Involving typically only small numbers of aircraft, Bomber Task Force deployments are of varying lengths, extending from a few weeks up to several months in some cases. These deployments provide theater familiarization for aircrews and aircraft integration opportunities with Allies and partners in different parts of the world. Overall, they represent what the Air Force says is a more unpredictable and flexible approach to pushing strategic airpower forward.
Bomber Task Force deployments now take place in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific theater. In the latter region, these rotations have been made to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley, Australia; and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory.From these forward locations, missions have been flown over and around critical hot spots and in exercises with allies.
'BTF 25-2 showcases the U.S. commitment to deterring threats and maintaining regional stability,' explained Lt. Col. Christopher Travelstead, director of operations for the squadron now deployed at Misawa. 'These missions in the Indo-Pacific ensure our B-1 crews are highly trained and ready to respond anytime, anywhere, to defend U.S. interests and support our allies, securing a stable Indo-Pacific — where all nations operate freely under a rules-based order while promoting global peace and prosperity.'
Misawa, which is already home to permanently based U.S. Air Force F-16CJs, comes under the Pacific Air Forces area of responsibility (AOR). From here, the Air Force is expected to project power across 100 million square miles — covering this vast area is a much easier task with long-range bombers like the B-1.
From Misawa, Air Force assets could find themselves tasked on missions directed toward North Korea or Russia, although the relative proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea or Taiwan Strait is of particular relevance. This is part of a broader Pentagon plan to deter China.
This plan, known as the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, or PDI, calls for the establishment of forward-deployed long-range strike capabilities, like the B-1, but also encompasses ground-based cruise, ballistic, and hypersonic missiles.
In particular, the U.S. military is seeking to establish more survivable, precision-strike networks along the so-called First Island Chain.
The term First Island Chain refers to an area of the Pacific inside a boundary formed by the first line of archipelagos out from mainland East Asia. This broad zone includes the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as the highly strategic Taiwan Strait. Pushing the B-1s into position on the First Island Chain would allow them to react faster to contingencies in the region, but it also makes them more vulnerable to attack on the ground should a major fight erupt.
Strategic planning in the Pacific also often takes into account needs within a region defined by a Second Island Chain, the boundary of which stretches between Japan and eastern Indonesia and includes the U.S. territory of Guam. From Misawa in the north of Japan, the long-range B-1s also have access to the Second Island Chain, including as a place to retreat to in a crisis.
The B-1 also brings a notably potent maritime capability, which is of considerable importance in this region.
In particular, the bombers can now be armed with many stealthy AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles, or LRASMs. The introduction of this weapon is part of a tilt toward employing these bombers against maritime threats as they enter the twilight of their career, but with a heavy emphasis on operations during a potential crisis in the Pacific.
Time will tell how long the B-1s remain at Misawa and what kind of missions they fly, and where. It's clear, however, that the first-time deployment has been calculated to very deliberately demonstrate U.S. commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific region and its allies in the region.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
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