The B-1B Lancer used to be a significant contributory factor to the supremacy of the US air power for a very long time; however, during the first few months of 2024, the scenario was reversed. The Lancer was singled out to exhibit its ability not only to physically be there but also to communicate an unambiguous message. When a message in words was not enough and an impact had to be made, this bomber was the one to demonstrate that the US could enter the situation with a firm and clear decision made very quickly and at exactly the right time.
The reprisal for the destruction of Tower 22 in Jordan was the turning point for the use of the B-1B, strategically and tactically. The killing of three U.S. soldiers in that drone strike was a tragedy, but worse still, it was a trigger.
The attack, which was conducted by militia aligned with Iran using drones they had purchased abroad, killed and wounded dozens, disrupting an already precarious equilibrium in the area. Following over 160 previous attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria from October 2023 to January 2024, Tower 22 necessitated a response that was simply greater than mere retaliation; it needed to establish deterrence. Meanwhile, the Air Force itself was in distress.
Just a week before that, a B-1B had crashed during training at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, shutting down the base’s sole runway and diverting temporary personnel and equipment to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Col. Derek Oakley, 28th Bomb Wing commander, called the crew’s flexibility and resiliency “a testament to the capability of the wing,” noting the operations continued even amidst disruption, building unit cohesion as well as readiness in general. And then there was the mission.
Two B-1Bs departed Dyess Feb. 2 at direct presidential direction to strike first-echelon militia targets in Syria and Iraq. The aircraft made a total of about 7,000 miles round-trip in 17 hours of travel time each way without ever departing or returning to any overseas bases beyond U.S. borders. Ross Hobbs of the Air War College observed that this was the initial such mission of this magnitude carried out wholly from and to the continental U.S.—the first in history.
The actual strike was fascinating. US aircraft attacked more than 85 targets with more than 125 precision-guided munitions, from command sites to intelligence nodes, storage sites for missiles, and supply lines. The B-1B led the operation and was selected based on range, payload, and flexibility.
Apart from the conditions of the operation, the greater message was there. With the ability to strike without having to use bases abroad, the U.S. was able to demonstrate it could go anywhere and not have to use foreign access or a coalition. President Biden did this very specifically, indicating that attacks on Americans would receive a strong and decisive response. The timing of the attack—with the bodies of the soldiers coming back home—gave more credibility to the action.
In the succeeding months, anti-American sentiment among troops in both Iraq and Syria plummeted. Although there was no outright open retaliation on a mass level, the decline in enemy activity showed that the mission had reoriented the near-term threat dynamics. It also demonstrated to the world that the U.S. is capable of projecting targeted, extended power without necessarily having to be nearby at the moment.
The mission also reinforced the importance of having bombers available, cooperation among the squads, and global striking capacity. Even while under scrutiny over the future of the B-1B, the mission proved that outdated systems, when serviced and used to maximum benefit, can continue to influence war dynamics.
Coordination between Striker units and Dyess crews, according to Col. Oakley, contributed toward greater efficiency, which was a testament to the cohesiveness as well as the rapidity of the bomber force.
In the years ahead, the Air Force will again be giving today’s operations for tomorrow’s needs. The short-term diversion of B-1Bs and airmen to Grand Forks Air Force Base, concurrent with Ellsworth runway construction on the new B-21 Raider, served to remind that strategic adaptability will always have a price for airmen and their families in both human and logistics terms.
As the B-21 nears operational status and the B-1B fades slowly into the past, this 2024 mission will be etched in history forever as a hallmark example of the bomber’s lasting legacy. It reminded the world that long-range strike airplanes remain potent weapons, with the capability to shape the battlefield before hostilities even commence, and put American power projection on public display still as fast, precise, and unobstructed as ever.