BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- B-52 Stratofortresses and Airmen from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, participated in Exercise Global Thunder, which began Oct. 24.
The 2nd Bomb Wing exercises within Air Force Global Strike Command and U.S. Strategic Command to ensure strategic readiness and deterrence against a variety of threats.
“As an annual exercise, Global Thunder provides necessary training for the 2nd Bomb Wing to fulfill its mission within U.S. Strategic Command,” said Col. Ty Neuman, 2nd Bomb Wing commander. “Executing this exercise ensures we maintain an effective deterrent force to keep our local community and our nation secure.”
The annual command post and field training exercise is designed to train U.S. Strategic Command forces and assess joint operational readiness across all Unified Command Plan-assigned mission areas.
“Testing our forces through a range of challenging scenarios validates the safety, security, effectiveness and readiness of the strategic deterrent we provide the nation,” said Adm. Cecil D. Haney, U.S. Strategic Command commander. “U.S. Strategic Command forces are on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing the credible deterrent capable of convincing potential adversaries that they cannot escalate their way out of a failed conflict, restraint is a better option.”
Global Thunder is both a command post and field training exercise to provide training from planning at the combatant command through execution at the tactical level, with a specific focus on cyber, space, missile defense and nuclear readiness.
“Maintaining strategic stability in an era of evolving challenges requires innovative and comprehensive solutions,” said Haney. “The scenarios presented in Global Thunder will drive the critical thinking needed to provide the president options that, in concert with a whole-of-government approach that includes our allies, are required to maintain twenty-first century deterrence.”
For more information contact 2nd BW Public Affairs at 318-456-1015 or 2bw.pa@us.af.mil.