Boeing B-52H Stratofortress aircraft allow the 5th BW to achieve its mission: "A dedicated team...ready to deliver massive firepower worldwide, on time, on target, every time." Recent changes in the emphasis of bomber force readiness away from the nuclear standoff role mean a sharper focus on conventional combat capability. The 5th BW is at the forefront of this ability, maintaining a busy schedule for deployments to train realistically. The first permanent Strategic Air Command unit assigned to Minot AFB was the 4136th Strategic Wing in September 1958. Its flying unit, the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, activated March 24, 1959 and provided air refueling support to the northern defense To perform its mission, and to support the mission of the 91st Space Wing, four groups are assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing. These are the 5th Operations Group, 5th Support Group, 5th Logistics Group, and 5th Medical Group. In addition, the special staff functions of 5th Comptroller Squadron, Plans, History, Legal, Chaplain, Safety, Command Post, Arms Control, Inspector General, Social Actions, Public Affairs, Manpower and Quality are assigned under the director of staff. Minot?s B-52H?s have become as much a part of the Navy?s mine-laying and anti-shipping strategy and the Army?s ground warfare as it has as a standoff platform for launching conventional cruise missiles. The bomber?s nuclear mission is practiced like any other. Thirty-six B-52s ? more than half of the nation?s remaining fleet of Buffs ? are parked at Minot. The others are at Barksdale AFB, LA. B-52s are parked on the ?Christmas tree? alert pad. But aside from security patrols, there?s little activity around them. Several of the extra planes sit on the old alert pads. The Wing is directed by Congress to keep extra planes at Minot. The number of B-52s the United States may have is governed by the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. The extra planes are kept ready and flown about every four months. But as of March 1999 the Wing only had enough pilots to fly 12 planes.