BARKSDALE AIR FORCE, La. -- Thirty-five years ago, B-52’s from the Mighty Eighth changed the course of aviation history and laid the foundation for long range strike missions. They proved the ability of bombers to be flown from sanctuary bases deep inside the United States to anywhere in the world, strike targets, and return home in a single flight. 
On January 16, 1991, seven B-52 Stratofortresses armed with 244 tons of munitions launched from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, under the cover of early morning darkness, on a nonstop flight to the Middle East, launching their payloads, and returning home – a 14,000 mile roundtrip mission.
The 35-hour long mission was part of Operation Senior Surprise – more commonly known as Operation Secret Squirrel – a highly classified mission to bring down the Iraqi command and control, power transmission, and communications capabilities to set the stage for Operation Desert Storm.
At the time, it was the longest combat aerial mission in history, the inaugural use of standoff air tactics and the first usage of the AGM-86C conventional air launched cruise missile (CALCM).
Fast forward 35 years, the tactics, techniques and procedures developed during the planning and execution phases of Operation Senior Surprise are still used today, paving the way for modern continental U.S. (CONUS) to CONUS missions, otherwise known as a C2C, and Bomber Task Force operations as a whole.
One of the most notable C2C missions in modern U.S. aviation history was demonstrated during Operation Midnight Hammer on June 21, 2025. Seven B-2 Spirit bombers departed Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, under the cover darkness, flew 37 hours nonstop and dropped fourteen 30,000-pound GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrator (MOP) bombs, significantly degrading three Iranian nuclear sites.
The operation demonstrated the Eighth Air Force’s ongoing ability to conduct precise, long-range strikes in support of U.S. security objectives, ultimately strengthening our nation’s security.
Most recently, our Airmen answered the call on Dec. 10, 2025, when B-52s from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, executed a C2C long-range bomber air demonstration across U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility in support of Operation Southern Spear, showcasing the reach, precision and responsiveness of U.S. airpower.
Thirty-five years ago, C2C missions were a novel concept executed by Eighth Air Force during Operation Senior Surprise. Today, it is an integral part of our Mighty Eighth’s mission set to conduct strategic deterrence and on order, conduct global strike operations to continue to protect the United States of America - Anytime, Anywhere.