Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana is home to B-52 bombers that were built five and a half decades ago, but still play a central role in today's U.S. 'nuclear triad.' (U.S. Air Force)
CBC: B-52s, nukes and 'messaging' missions: Inside a U.S. Air Force nuclear base
A look behind the fences of Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
The U.S. military's "nuclear triad" is made up of missiles, submarines and bombers, including the 2nd Bomb Wing's gargantuan B-52 Stratofortesses at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Why keep flying these aging 1950s-era bombers when missiles can reach their target with pinpoint precision in a fraction of the time?
Intercontinental ballistic missiles are hidden away underground in U.S. silos. And the point of nuclear submarines is stealth — prowling beneath the ocean so other nations don't know where they are.
Lumbering eight-engined B-52 bombers, in contrast, are extremely visible.
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WNU Editor: That is one busy base.
