U.S. Navy Adm. Rich Correll, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, presented the Strategic Command Consultation Committee’s 2025 Omaha Trophy to the wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, on May 26. The award recognized the unit’s performance in generating and delivering B-2 combat power while maintaining its wider strategic deterrence mission.
Operation Midnight Hammer placed the wing’s global strike capability under exceptional operational demands during the summer of 2025. A select group of command, operations and maintenance personnel had only weeks to prepare a mission that sent seven B-2 Spirits carrying GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs to destroy Iranian nuclear sites.
“Stealth does not maintain itself, bombs do not load themselves, and facilities do not secure themselves,” Correll said. “At the end of the day, the most advanced aircraft in the world is just cold metal without Airmen breathing life into it. This award reflects a deep-rooted culture of apprenticeship that is the culture of our military.”
The B-2 was also used for sustained precision strikes during Operation Rough Rider against the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen. The Air Force described that operation as the largest deployment of B-2 Spirit bombers in the aircraft’s history.
“I could not be prouder of how our Total Force Integration team performed in 2025,” said Col. Joshua Wiitala, commander of the 509th Bomb Wing. “Between [Operation] Midnight Hammer, [Operation] Rough Rider, and receiving our best nuclear surety inspection score on the record, the Airmen here made history and made our country safer.”
The two operations demonstrated the 509th Bomb Wing’s ability to deploy the B-2 for both high-stakes global strike missions and sustained combat operations. USSTRATCOM also pointed to the unit’s readiness and nuclear surety performance as central to its role in U.S. strategic deterrence.
“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for everything you have accomplished and what you continue to accomplish,” Correll said. “There are so many unsung heroes among all of you that went the extra mile to make sure that you could safely execute whatever task was in front of you. That is your legacy in paying it forward for our Air Force and for our joint force.”
The 509th Bomb Wing also won the Omaha Trophy as USSTRATCOM’s top strategic bomber unit in 2024, giving it back-to-back recognition. The Air Force said the consecutive awards reflect the wing’s sustained readiness and its contribution to U.S. national security through strategic deterrence and long-range combat power.
