Homeward bound F-35s return to Hill Air Force Base

Members of the 421st Fighter Squadron are returning from a two-month European theater assignment where they were stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany, he said. While abroad, the squadron participated in various combat operation exercises in conjunction with several allied and partner nations, he added.

"In Europe, the deployment was the normal part of a rotation that fighter aircraft do around the world," Morris said. "It's just to help support different areas of operation, whether it's Europe or the Pacific theater or wherever it might be to build partner capacity and reassure our allies in those various areas."

"The theater support package is essentially on par with combat minus being in combat," he said. "That's some of what we get tasked with and you have to be ready for."

The mission allows the allied nations to create a more cohesive and effective combined military fighting force, he said.

During the two-month period, the 34th Fighter Squadron operated out of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho while the main runway at Hill was undergoing major repair reconstruction, Morris said.