Inside the B-52s’ deployment to support the Afghanistan withdrawal

The B-52 bombers finished America’s longest war in much the same way as they began: carrying airmen called to military service in the aftermath of 9/11, hunting Taliban fighters through the mountains of Afghanistan and watching as the seat of government in Kabul changed hands.

After 20 years of counterterrorism operations in Southwest Asia, the Stratofortresses’ five-month tour to assist the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was a last-ditch effort for America’s oldest bomber to secure some stability in the final days of the war.https://8de2674edb8356da49b9dbfdfa416544.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Six B-52s and around 300 airmen from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from April to September as the sole B-52 unit taking part in the withdrawal. That group — named the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron while abroad — flew more than 3,100 hours and 240 combat sorties during the deployment.

For all but three airmen, it was their first time participating in a conflict that has defined modern combat since 2001.

“For the vast majority of the squadron, this wasn’t going back,” Lt. Col. Michael Middents, 23rd Bomb Squadron commander, told Air Force Times Sept. 30. “This was going for the first time, and for a war that, really, we’ve kind of seen from the sidelines.”

They didn’t expect to be there. The bomb squadron, one of two under the 5th Bomb Wing, was preparing for a stint at Morón Air Base in Spain as part of a task force to reassure allies and deter potential threats in the region. Then U.S. Central Command warned they might reroute to Qatar instead.

“As they were looking at the plan on how they needed to withdraw all the U.S. and coalition forces out of Afghanistan, they saw that the bomber brings so much to them,” Middents said. “Bombers — the B-52 in particular — offer things that other platforms can’t: precision strike, long-range capability … and then also the persistent time on station.”

Minot airmen had about two weeks to get ready for the Afghanistan mission. They collaborated with joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs), the special tactics airmen trained to call in airstrikes from the ground, found another squadron to handle the Spain deployment and were packing the bombers when they got the call to go.

Eighteen hours later, they touched down in Qatar.https://8de2674edb8356da49b9dbfdfa416544.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“One of my guys landed from that 18-hour sortie getting over there, he walked out, he was all smiles and said, ‘This is why I signed up. This is what I wanted to do,’” Middents said.

The expeditionary squadron took four days to adjust their sleep schedules for combat in a new time zone and to understand the rules of engagement. Then they headed out on an unarmed flight to announce their presence with airborne loops over Kabul in the east and Kandahar in the south.