The B-52 bombers currently on strategic presence rotation to Andersen AFB, Guam, flew on to Australia to participate in the latest Green Lightning exercise over the Delamere Bombing Range. While they were down under, the BUFFs did some flyovers at the Australian International Airshow 2007 in Victoria. Journalist SMSgt. Don Perrien reports that the B-52s flew the standard Green Lightning sorties, that is a 12-hour round trip to the range—from and back to Andersen. The 12-hour sorties are not the longest flown by the big bombers, which deployed to Guam from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La., during this rotation; some crews also flew to Hawaii for Koa Lightning.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.