More than 140 Air Force Reservists with the 13th Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif., deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, in November to train for about a month with the RQ-4 Global Hawks stationed there. The squadron members joined in activities with the active duty airmen who maintain and operate Andersen’s Global Hawks. This was the first time that these Reservists deployed as a unit to Guam; the deployment afforded them the opportunity to experience operating at a forward location, said squadron officials. While the airmen at Andersen control the Global Hawks during takeoff and landing, the Reservists back at Beale normally fly the high-flying long-endurance surveillance platforms for portions of their missions via remote controls. The desire is for the Reservists to flow to Guam every year to continue this valuable training, said unit officials. (Andersen report by SrA. Veronica McMahon)
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.