A B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., lands at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

According to 36th Wing Public Affairs, a new rotation of aircrews, maintenance personnel and aircraft assigned to the 69th EBS arrived on Guam to replace the 23rd EBS in support of the U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence mission.

Since March 2004, Andersen AFB has hosted the Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) mission, which is designed to enhance regional security and provides reassurance to allies and partners that the United States is capable of defending its national security interests in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

The Airmen arriving from the 69th EBS will be stationed in Guam for the next six months to conduct CBP operations and training.

The bomber deployment enhances regional security and underscores the U.S. commitment to the Western Pacific. The addition of B-52 bombers to Guam gives the PACOM commander short-notice global strike and strategic engagement capabilities that otherwise would not exist in the region, officials stated.

The Boeing B-52 primarily provides the United States with immediate nuclear and conventional global strike capability. The B-52 is the most combat-capable bomber in the U.S. inventory. Due to its high mission-capable rate, large payload, long-range, persistence and ability to employ both nuclear and conventional precision standoff weapons, the B-52 continues to be a critical contributor to the U.S. National Security Strategy.