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 B-1B Bombers practice   dropping Bombs on New Terrain

A US Air Force B-1B takes off from Bodø Air Station in Norway, March 8, 2021. US Air Force

• US Air Force bombers deployed to Norway for the first time ever in late February.
• This week, those bombers trained with troops on the ground to conduct close air support.
• The deployment, and increased Arctic activity in general, comes amid high tensions between NATO and Russia.

US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers that deployed to Norway in late February have already demonstrated their reach in the air around Europe, and this week they tested their ability to put bombs on target in new surroundings.

On March 8, a bomber conducted Joint Terminal Attack Controller training with US Navy SEALs, US Marines, and Norwegian soldiers near Setermoen in the Norwegian Arctic.

JTACs, as they're known, direct aircraft during close-air-support missions. For this training, US and Norwegian JTACs took position "on top of a mountain and quickly established communications" with the bomber to call in targets, a Marine Corps release said.

The exercise comes as NATO militaries have increased their focus on the European Arctic, conducting more ground, air, and naval operations there. Joint JTAC training "demonstrates our commitment to building interoperability across military services and NATO allies," Capt. Joe Roberts, a JTAC instructor, said in the release.

'A little bit different'

Norwegian soldiers and US Marines during Joint Terminal Attack Controller training in Setermoen, Norway, March 8, 2021. US Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Patrick King.

US bombers deploy to Europe and train with Norwegian aircraft regularly, but the four B-1Bs that arrived in Norway on February 22 are the first US bombers to deploy there.

"There's always something that's just a little bit different" at a new airfield, Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, deputy commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, said during a March 5 briefing.

Changing scenery is particularly important for close air support, as working with JTACs or special-operations forces on the ground "allows that sensor on the ground to connect with the shooter, and in this case the bombers, to be able to practice dropping weapons in different environments," Basham said.

"I can tell you, as a B-1 pilot, that not all terrain looks the same; it has a different look on radar," Basham added. "Working with different individuals, there are always the unique challenges of accent or just the ability to make sure that we understand exactly what we're doing."

Marines rotated through Norway for on-the-ground training - including familiarization with the language barrier - from 2017 to late 2020, when the Corps said that training would move to an "episodic" model.

US Marines and Norwegian soldiers during JTAC training in Setermoen, March 8, 2021. US Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Patrick King

The Marines' training focused on preparing for harsh Arctic conditions, which is also a goal of the B-1B deployment and of the JTAC training.

"Operating from Norway gives a very unique opportunity to operate in a cold-weather environment," Basham said.

During the JTAC exercise, the B-1B landed at Bodo Air Force Station in the Norwegian Arctic for "warm-pit refueling," in which the crew stays in the cockpit during refueling, allowing the bomber to get back in the air faster.

Operations like warm-pit refueling are central to the Air Force's Agile Combat Employment concept, which is meant to prepare aircraft and crews for more dispersed operations.

The bomber "does just fine in the cold weather," Basham said. "It's our great aviators and maintainers and support personnel who might not be as familiar with the rigors of the cold. Our Norwegian partners are helping us along in that."

The bomber circled the airfield for 45 minutes as "dense snow" was cleared so it could land, and for ground troops, Norway's Arctic "also poses many obstacles," including frostbite and mountainous terrain, "which can cause electronic communications issues," the Corps release said.

Sending a message

A B-1B bomber lands at Bodø Air Station for the first time, March 8, 2021. Norwegian Armed Forces US and NATO activity in the Arctic comes amid heightened tensions with Russia, which has the world's longest Arctic coastline and extensive economic interests there. Moscow has also increased its military activity in the Arctic.

The Norway deployment reflects several shifts in US strategy, including increased support for NATO in response to Russia's 2014 incursion in Ukraine, which has led to "a gradual increase of bombers deploying to the UK at higher tempo and flying farther east and north," Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, told Insider.

Another shift is in Air Force bomber operations overseas, moving away from longer deployments in one place and toward shorter, more frequent deployments at more bases, which in Europe "has resulted in bomber operations to Iceland and now Norway, locations where the US did not deploy bombers even during the Cold War," Kristensen said.

Russia has major military installations in the Arctic, where aerial attack has long been a major concern.

A B-1B bomber is refueled at Bodø Air Station, March 8, 2021. Norwegian Armed Forces. Moscow has already demonstrated its dismay about the B-1B deployment. On Friday, its Northern Fleet said carrier-based MiG-29K fighter jets had for the first time gone on "experimental combat duty" on the nearby Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

The Russians "seem to get the message" behind the increased US bomber deployments, Kristensen told Insider,

"but there is so far no indication that it is causing them to back down."

"It's a lot more controversial in Norway, where officials have been busy explaining that the operations should not be seen as an increased threat to Russia," Kristensen added.

Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, stressed that point during the March 5 briefing.

"The communication is quite clear that this is what it is and it's not an offensive operation at all," Odlo said. "It's normal military activity between two close allies. The only special thing is the new asset being deployed to Norway."



 FOUR B1-B LANCER'S

 At Ørland Main Air Station Norway of limited Strategic importance.

A B-1B prepares to take off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, February 21, 2021. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Josiah Brown An Air Force public-affairs specialist documents a B-1B landing at Ørland Air Force Station, March 3, 2021. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Colin Hollowell 

US airmen unload a B-1B at Ørland Air Force Station in Norway, February 22, 2021. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Colin Hollowell

Two crew chiefs by a B-1B at Ørland Air Force Station, February 26, 2021. US Air Force/Airman 1st Class Colin Hollowell 

US Air Force bombers are on an 'historic' mission to Norway to let allies know they'll be 'on target, first time'

•  US B-1B bombers arrived in Norway on February 22 for the first bomber deployment ever to that country.

•  NATO officials said the deployment shouldn't be seen as a threat, but the bombers' capabilities should be clear.

Four US Air Force B-1B bombers arrived at Ørland Air Station in central Norway on February 22 for what officials say is a "historic" deployment meant to familiarize US airmen with new terrain.

While US bombers regularly train with Norwegian aircraft, they usually fly out of another major base in the region.

"This is the first time that we are generating flights in partnership with our close ally, Norway, as well as operating from Norwegian soil," Lt. Gen. Steven Basham, deputy commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters Friday.

"There's always something that's just a little bit different" at a new airfield, Basham said.

"Under our newest concept of Agile Combat Employment, we have got to maintain the level of agility and flexibility to operate from many different places," Basham added, referring to an operational concept in which aircraft and airmen train to deploy from main "hub" bases to a variety of "spoke" airfields.

Operating from Norway is also a chance to acclimate to a colder environment - a concern more for airmen than aircraft, Basham said - and to train more with their Norwegian counterparts.

The location allows "integrating probably a little bit more often than we might from other locations with their fighters [and] their navy," Basham added. "Being on the ground with them before we operate and after we operate also creates a unique opportunity to learn."

Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, which oversees the country's military operations, said the deployment is "an important part" of ensuring the US and Norway can work together in that region and its conditions.

US bombers are "a strategic asset, and it is highly important to both of us ... to be able to have the right processes" to use them, "if needed," Odlo said.

The B-1Bs in Norway flew their first Bomber Task Force mission on February 26, conducting "tactical integration" with a Norwegian F-35 and naval assets over the Norwegian Sea. (An initial press release said they trained in the eastern Barents Sea, much closer to Russia, but a spokesperson told Insider that was "a brief miscommunication.")

In early March, two B-1Bs trained with Danish, Polish, Italian, and German fighters over the Baltic Sea and flew over the capitals of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - "a testament to the unmatched strength and capability of the NATO alliance," said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, commander of US Air Forces in Europe and Africa.

The US bomber crews' training will also include working with joint terminal air controllers and special-operations forces to drop inert munitions, which "allows that sensor on the ground to connect with the shooter, and in this case the bombers, to be able to practice dropping weapons in different environments," Basham said.

"I can tell you, as a B-1 pilot, that not all terrain looks the same," Basham added. "It has a different look on radar, and working with different individuals, there are always the unique challenges of accent or just the ability to make sure that we understand exactly what we're doing."

The deployment has several weeks left, and the training doing is important not only for US airmen but also as a signal to allies, Basham said.

"The one thing you're always thinking about if you're ever required to employ in a location such as this ... you typically don't get a first chance to practice and then a second chance to succeed," Basham said. "That's why it's so important to exercise every aspect of, in this particular case, what our B-1s can do, and certainly not just with Norway but many other countries so that if ever called upon, our allies are assured that we will be on target, first time."

Broader tensions between NATO and Russia, heightened after Moscow's 2014 seizure of Crimea, loom over the bomber deployment.

Norway is NATO's northernmost European member, and its border with Russia is adjacent to sensitive Russian military installations in the Arctic, where both NATO and Russia are more active. Norway also looks over important sea lanes through which Russian warships must pass to reach the Atlantic Ocean.

Norway takes its neighbor's concerns about military activity into account, but Moscow still watches NATO operations in the region, especially bomber flights, warily.

Two weeks before the bombers arrived, Russia released footage of Russian Tu-160 bombers on "a planned flight" over the Barents, Greenland, and Norwegian seas. Days later, Russia said it would conduct missile tests in waters between the Barents and Norwegian seas, which was seen as a sign of displeasure over the bombers' impending arrival.

On Friday, Odlo and Basham stressed that the deployment was normal military activity.

There are always "some reverberations from the political side of the house," when Norway invites "close allies" to operate there, "which is normal," Odlo said.

"There is no doubt that Russia probably looks at this as just what they would do," Basham said. "As you're looking to continue to improve your readiness, you want to make sure that you're pushing to the limits of your capability."

Basham reiterated that the deployment shouldn't be seen as a threat but said it was a reflection of US capabilities.

"If someone were to take a message that you're not restricted to one particular location, that would be a good message for them to perceive," Basham said.