Members of the Nebraska Air National Guard’s Lincoln-based 155th Air Refueling Wing,
returned from a deployment July 3, 2018, to Andersen Air Base, Guam.
The 60 day mission involved providing support to U.S. and allied aircraft involved in
supporting regional stability and security in the U.S. Pacific Command area of operations. The
mission included Nebraska Air Guard of KC-135R Stratotanker aircrew, aircraft maintainers,
and mission support experts.
The effort, say members of the 155th ARW, was extremely important.
“We are there to provide support for the continuous presence of bombers, fighters and
reconnaissance platforms,” said Lt. Col Bryan Scholtes, 155th ARW inspector general, Scholtes
added that the Nebraska tankers provided critical support to the overall strategic effort. .
The refueling mission plays a significant role in the U.S. PACOM theater which would not be possible without the support provided from maintenance personnel.
“The demands on PACOM are very high,” said Scholte. “They are very task saturated with the
work that they do. Especially on the maintenance side. They are working 12-hour days every
day.”
The Nebraska Air National Guard routinely deploys to Guam to help support the PACOM
mission and platforms which help maintain an air power presence in the region.
“Guam is a very strategic location and we can cover the region very well,”said Senior Master Sgt. Steve Fisher, maintenance production superintendent with the 155th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. “The Guard has good jets and experienced maintainers that
can really help with any shortfalls.”