by Megan Meyer, Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (AFNS) -- Air Force Global Strike Command and Pacific Air Forces officials teamed up recently to restructure logistics support and aircraft rotations for the continuous bomber presence in the Pacific.
The restructuring is estimated to save the Defense Department more than $12 million annually.
"The continuous bomber presence in the Pacific is vital in assuring our regional allies," said Lt. Gen. James M. Kowalski, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. "It is important we support U.S. Pacific Command in this critical mission."
The first of these logistics changes involved the B-52 Stratofortress mobility readiness spares package kits -- eight semi-trucks worth of critical parts for day-to-day flying. These kits will now be left in place in Guam between deployments, rather than sending each kit home with its owning squadron, officials said.
One independent MRSP kit is assigned to each AFGSC combat B-52 squadron here and at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Buxton, the weapons system team superintendent for AFGSC Logistics, Installations and Mission Support. Kits previously remained with their assigned squadron, whether that squadron was deployed or stateside in the continental U.S., he said.
By avoiding sea or air transport for the MRSP package to Guam and funding the ride for the kit from Barksdale AFB to Minot AFB and back by land instead, a $12 million cost is avoided per year, officials said. Minot AFB and Barksdale AFB squadrons rotate in and out of Guam every six months on average.
In addition to the cost avoidance associated with transportation, PACAF funded additional standardization of the MRSP kits between the two CONUS bases. Minot AFB's MRSP kits have traditionally been housed in internal aircraft slingable container units, while Barksdale AFB kits were not. PACAF's funding of these containers avoided an additional cost of $90,000 to AFGSC and further standardized MRSP kits between stateside squadrons, officials said.
