B-1 Bomber Task Force Deploys to Japan

Four B-1B bombers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas have deployed to Misawa Air Base, Japan, in a Bomber Task Force, Air Force Global Strike Command said. The aircraft are likely to participate in exercises with Japan in the coming weeks.

The BTF marks the second time B-1s have deployed to Misawa this year, the first being in April. During that deployment, they stayed a month while operating with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the F-35s that are already stationed at Misawa.

In 2024, the Air Force sent BTFs overseas some 33 times, including 10 each to the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. A few others went to Southwest Asia and on deployments to North and South America.

The Air Force is not describing the planned activities of this BTF, citing operational security. This marks a change from previous BTFs, in which the broad objectives of the deployment are announced, including the various partner or allied air forces with which the bombers will train. The purpose of BTFs is typically to develop procedures for U.S. bombers to operate with allied air units, to showcase the ability of bombers to deploy worldwide, and to present messaging to potential adversaries.

Japan is about to undertake a large-scale, regional wargame, set to run from October 20-31. The massive exercise will focus on the Sea of Japan, Japan’s northern coast, and in the south, between the southernmost Japanese islands and Taiwan. The U.S. and Australia are set to take part, toward improving their interoperability with Japanese forces, the Defense Ministry said.

A Defense Ministry press release said the exercise is meant to improve the “joint operational capabilities” of Japan’s ground, sea and air self-defense forces.

The Air Force sent BTFs overseas some 48 times from mid-2024 to mid-2025, outgoing head of Global Strike Command Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere said in a July interview with Air and Space Forces Magazine. Another 12 such missions involved flying overseas but returning to the U.S. without landing in any other country, he said. Most of those he described as “cross-combatant command” events, in which the bombers flew through several regional commander areas of responsibility.

“Our allies and partners love integrating with our bombers,” Bussiere said in a June appearance with the Atlantic Council. The allies “love having a bomber show the American flag over their country or integrating with their air forces, or exercising with their ground forces.”