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Bomber Task Force mission supports African Lion 2022 and counter-illicit maritime efforts in Mauritania

A B-1B Lancer bomber takes off from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, June 29, 2022, to support African Lion as well as conduct counter-illicit maritime activity with Mauritanian Navy vessels off the coast of Mauritania. Supporting Bomber Task Force conus-to-conus missions enhance bomber aviators' abilities and build relationships and interoperability with partner nations.

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Photo by: Senior Airman Colin Hollowell 

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Bomber Task Force mission supports African Lion 2022 and counter-illicit maritime efforts in Mauritania

B-1B Lancer bombers from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, fly with Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16 and F-5 aircraft off the coast of Morocco on June 30, 2022, in support of African Lion 2022. After supporting African Lion, the B-1Bs flew south to Mauritania, where they worked with the Mauritanian Coast Guard to identify and track illegally operating vessels off the coast, such as those conducting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.

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Photo by: U.S. Air Force 

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, conducted a Bomber Task Force mission to Morocco and Mauritania on June 30, 2022.

The mission, which lasted more than 25 hours, supported the culminating live fire exercise for African Lion 2022, and then went on to support counter illicit maritime tracking efforts in Mauritania before returning to Texas.

Over Morocco, the B-1B aircraft were joined by Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16s and F-5s to conduct an interoperability demonstration including the employment of an inert weapon from a B-1B as part of exercise African Lion 22.

African Lion is U.S. Africa Command’s premier annual exercise, involving 7,500 service members from U.S. and partner nations.  The exercise bolsters interoperability among partner nations and supports U.S. military readiness to respond to crises in Africa and around the world.

After supporting African Lion, the B-1Bs flew south to Mauritania, where they worked with the Mauritanian Coast Guard to identify and track illegally operating vessels off the coast, such as those conducting illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.

Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing depletes fishers throughout Africa’s coast countries, threatens maritime security, and endangers the African economies that rely on the ocean for their food and trade. U.S. Africa Command assists African partner nations’ efforts to safeguard continued, sustainable use of maritime resources and enable maritime trade.    

Mauritania and U.S. Africa Command have a longstanding relationship that includes bilateral cooperation, including this Bomber Task Force mission as well as a similar mission that took place in February 2022. This type of collaboration builds shared maritime domain awareness that allows our partners to better target those areas for law enforcement actions.

U.S. Strategic Command bomber forces regularly conduct combined theater security cooperation engagements with allies and partners, demonstrating the U.S. capability to command, control and conduct bomber missions across the globe. Bomber missions demonstrate the credibility and flexibility of our forces to address today’s complex, dynamic and unpredictable global security environment.