The B-1B Lancer has long been the epitome of U.S. aerial might, but a year after the start of 2024, it demonstrated that its role was bigger than just that of a bomb delivery system—it was a deterrence tool and a flag of the unshakeable commitment. The mission that followed the fatal assault on Tower 22 in Jordan was the Lancer’s defining moment, turning the Lancer from a strategic bomber into an instrument of strategic messaging.
The killing of three U.S. soldiers was not another point in the long line of strikes but rather a point of rupture. Several drones given to pro-Iran radicals were shot down, many of them were injured, and a delicate peace in the area was shattered. The U.S. military in Iraq and Syria had been subjected to more than 160 attacks in recent months, but the emergency at Tower 22 called for a response that went beyond retaliation and aimed at deterrence restoration.
This happened while the Air Force was already under a lot of pressure. Only a few weeks before, on January 4, a B-1B had a mishap during a training flight at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, which made the crews and aircraft relocate temporarily to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. Nevertheless, the bomber crews did not lose morale and even went on with their various squadron and combined training exercises without any disruption, thus gradually re-establishing their level of capability and trust in each other.
The aircraft’s role was definitively set by the following mission. The two B-1Bs took off from Dyess on February 2, just under presidential orders direct and went to hit high-value targets. They targeted four areas in Iraq and Syria that were militias supported by Iran. They did their almost 7,000-mile nonstop, round-the-world flight—17 hours out, 17 hours back—without going to any other place to land. As Ross Hobbs, a fellow at the Air War College, put it, it was the largest mission of its kind conducted entirely from U.S. soil, and no previous time had a similar mission been performed.
It was a hit with very high accuracy. More than 125 precision-guided munitions were used to strike over 85 targets. Among the attacked militants’ command centers, intelligence hubs, supply depots, and weapons storage sites have been neutralized, leaving them little if any room for operational activities. B-1B was selected for its ability to reach and the great firepower it had, thus making the most powerful bomber in the country the center of the response.
Besides the destruction, the operation sent a very strong signal that the U.S. could take a clear-cut step without depending on any foreign bases, i.e., acting decisively and by itself. In an area where the politics of the host nation can make operations more complicated, this show of operational independence was a major strategic moment.
President Biden was very clear that attacks on U.S. personnel would be met with force. The strike was also a strong message because it happened at the same time as the dead soldiers’ remains were being taken to Dover Air Force Base, thus it was both a demonstration of accountability and a powerful act of deterrence.
The number of attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria decreased significantly in the period following. Tehran chose not to escalate, and the bombers enabled other regional actors to be reminded that power could still be brought from halfway round the world. The mission fundamentally changed threat perceptions in the short term, confirming the B-1B as an indispensable and powerful weapon.
This operation was really a big step in the significance of bomber readiness and the need for integrated squadron training. The performance of this task showed that the assumed decrease in the relevance of B-1B was false since aircraft that are maintained properly and all-trained crews still bring down decisive victories. As Col. Derek Oakley of the 28th Bomb Wing puts it, the cooperation between Dyess and Ellsworth aircrews reflects closeness and seamless operational excellence.
On the other hand, the Air Force was managing a balancing act between immediate operational needs and longer-term modernization plans for the arrival of the B-21 Raider. Among the changes necessary for such strategic flexibility were the temporary relocations and adjustments at bases like Grand Forks, North Dakota.
The 2024 mission will remain one of the last few and most memorable ones performed by the bomber when the B-21 starts its journey and the B-1B retires. It was a demonstration that the older aircraft can still be lethal and versatile as well as caof shapinghapingbattlefieldeldng before the enemy fires even a single shot. Most importantly, it was a reinforcement of one of the truces of all time: America has a long reach, her resolve is unwavering, and the response to provocation is always quick and decisive.