North and South B-52s team up to demonstrate readiness, integration

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Paul A. Griffith, Jr.
  • 2d Bomb Wing
BARKSDALE AIR FORCEBASE, La. --  The 2d Bomb Wing successfully completed their first joint Nuclear Operational Readiness Exercise Oct. 21 to 28 with their counterparts at the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot AFB., N.D. The NORE involved multiple B-52Hs and a team of maintainers, aircraft specialists, weapons loaders, aircrew, life support technicians, logisticians and operational planners.

The NORE focused on assuring all levels of leadership that our wings are "safe, secure and reliable" in all facets of our mission.

"This is the heart and soul of deterrence," said Col. Robert E. Wheeler, 2d Bomb Wing Commander. "Our ability to quickly execute this mission is the basis of deterring our nation's enemies."

The NORE began Oct. 21, when the 2d Bomb Wing was notified by higher headquarters that the wing had to prepare B-52s for a short-notice deployment to Minot.

While the 2d Maintenance Group quickly prepared the jets to meet the stringent readiness standards; crews from the 96th Bomb Squadron, already deployed in garrison for the Global Deterrence Force, planned the missions and prepared to assume alert duty. Logistics planners from the 2d Logistics Readiness Squadron worked the airlift, processed required cargo and prepared the wing to deploy.

"The aircraft were fully mission-capable ahead of the exercise," said Col. Steven Shinkle, 2d Maintenance Group commander. "This assured one of the wing's primary exercise objectives was already achieved."

Following this great start, more than 100 Airmen from shops across the wing deployed to Minot, Oct. 23. The short notice deployment was meant to test the ability of maintainers to quickly integrate with other units and execute standardized procedures.

"We were quickly incorporated into their NORE generation flow plan," Col. Shinkle added. "While there were some minor problems, we successfully integrated with 5th Bomb Wing."

Collectively both units were able to not only receive Barksdale B-52s, but also seamlessly blended with 5th Bomb Wing to generate their jets, ensuring generation success.

The NORE game clock started Oct. 24 when the blended wings were directed to generate their B-52s into a wartime configuration in a very short period of time.

Lt. Col. Chad Stevenson, 2d Operations Group deputy commander, led Barksdale AFB., jets north. Upon arrival, Colonel Stevenson was immediately integrated into the 5th Bomb Wing leadership to ensure the NORE generation stayed on course. Other key 2d Bomb Wing personnel quickly paired up with their Minot counterparts. Crews assumed their NORE alert duties and then completed the exercise by flying simulated training missions. All jets launched and successfully struck simulated targets in South Dakota, Kansas and Texas, then landing safely at Barksdale.

After cheering on the bombers as they took off in quick succession from Minot, Lt. Col. David Foote, 2d Maintenance Group deputy commander, turned his attention to getting our Airmen ready to come home.

"After we said a quick goodbye to our Minot hosts we almost immediately started debriefing and learning as much from this experience as we could," said Colonel Foote.
All Barksdale Airmen returned home by midnight Oct. 28.

"This NORE was a successful first step," said Colonel Wheeler, "these types of operations are vital to the successful execution of our tasked missions."