Ray Claims Big Success with Bomber Task Forces
Feb. 25, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak
The Bomber Task Force concept is a great success, Global Strike Command chief Gen. Timothy M. Ray said Feb. 25. Bombers will go to new places in the coming months, and the annual pace of such deployments is likely to stay high, he told reporters at a press conference during Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.
The Air Force sent BTFs to India and Norway in recent weeks and will be “expanding beyond the normal†bomber deployment locations such as Fairford, U.K.; Diego Garcia; Moron, Spain; and Guam, Ray said. A recent deployment of two B-1Bs to Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia “was a very effective statement,†he observed, “about what we can do, broadly†around the world.
“What we did in [2020] is, I think, indicative of what we can sustain,†Ray declared. “We’re going to keep this pace up.†The inability of KC-46s to participate in the aerial tanking mission has not affected GSC “at all,†he added, saying, “We’ve had tremendous support†from U.S. Transportation Command and Mobility Command. The new operating tempo is “a really good balance between what we need to do for the theaters and what our teammates can sustain.â€
https://www.airforcemag.com/ray-claims-big-success-with-bomber-task-forces/
