U.S. B-2 Bombers Patrol Europe on Mission to Curtail Russian Aggression

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By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers will soon take to the skies over Europe as part of planned Bomber Task Force missions intended to demonstrate resolve against aggression and prepare for any possible warfare contingency. These flights will also enhance U.S.-allied interoperability and demonstrate unmistakable strength intended to safeguard the continent from Russian aggression.

Several B-2s have now arrived a Lajes Field, Portugal and are participating in a range of bomber support missions throughout Europe, a U.S. Air Force report says. The B-2s will join the already present B-1s now operating in the area for additional task force missions, Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Forces Europe, Africa Command said in the service report.

The arrival of the B-2s mirrors an ongoing series of stepped up U.S.-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) collaborative exercises aimed at expanding the defensive envelope across the European theater. These deterrence missions can extend from areas of Northern Eastern Europe such as the Baltics all the way down to coastal areas bordering the Black Sea and across throughout Western Europe.  

Unlike the expansive Pacific where the “tyranny of distance” can complicate mission effectiveness for Bomber Task Force patrols, the more compact and accessible European continent affords greater opportunities for single missions to accomplish a wide sphere of operational objectives.

What might B-2s over Europe bring to any kind of deterrence equation? Certainly, in the event of conflict or the emergence of disturbing intelligence information, a B-2 could conduct high altitude, stealthy bombing missions over enemy territory. A B-2 bomber, arguably perhaps like no other now operational platform, might be in position to conduct decisive first strikes while remaining undetected by enemy surveillance and engagement radar.