Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base ( AFB ) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east - southeast of Bossier City , Louisiana . The host unit at Barksdale is the 2d Bomb Wing ( 2 BW ) , the oldest Bomb Wing in the Air Force . It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command ' s ( AFGSC ) Eighth Air Force ( 8 AF ) . The 2 BW is equipped with the B - 52H Stratofortress bomber , and provides flexible , responsive , global combat capability , autonomously or in concert with other forces , and trains all Air Force Global Strike Command and Air Force Reserve Command B - 52 crews . Barksdale AFB was established in 1932 as Barksdale Field and is named for World War I aviator and test pilot Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale ( 1896 – 1926 ) . Overview . The 2d Bomb Wing conducts the primary mission of Barksdale Air Force Base , La . , with three squadrons of B - 52H Stratofortress bombers – the 11th Bomb Squadron , which is the training squadron , the 20th Bomb Squadron and the 96th Bomb Squadron . Together they ensure the 2d Bomb Wing provides flexible , responsive , global combat capability , autonomously or in concert with other forces , and trains all active - duty and reserve B - 52 crews . The 2d Bomb Wing was assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command on 1 February 2010 . Air Force Global Strike Command provides combat ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global strike operations in support of combatant commanders . More than 15 , 000 active - duty , Air Force Reserve members and civilians make up Barksdale ' s workforce . About 44 B - 52 Stratofortress aircraft are also assigned to the wing . Units . Units at Barksdale include the oldest bomb wing in the Air Force , the 2d Bomb Wing ( 2 BW ) . The 2d participated in Brig Gen Billy Mitchell ' s 1921 off - shore bombing test ( as the 2nd Bomb Group ) . F Components of the 2d Bomb Wing are : The commander of the 2d Bomb Wing is Colonel Andrew Gebara . He also functions as the installation commander of Barksdale Air Force Base . The vice commander is Colonel Leland Bohannon . Other assigned units at Barksdale are : The base is closed to the public . However , the base is home to the Eighth Air Force Museum , which hosts static displays of numerous aircraft including a Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan bomber , B - 24 , B - 17 , P - 51 , SR - 71 , F - 111 , and multiple versions of the B - 52 . There is an annual open house when non - DoD visitors are allowed . Visitors may also tour the museum from 9 : 30 am to 4 pm every day except official holidays . History . Barksdale Field was named in honor of 2nd Lieutenant Eugene Hoy Barksdale ( 1895 – 1926 ) on 2 February 1933 . Lieutenant Barksdale received his wings in Great Britain in 1918 and flew with the British during World War I . Barksdale died on 11 August 1926 , over McCook Field near Dayton , Ohio when testing a Douglas O - 2 observation airplane for spin characteristics . He did not recover from a flat spin while parachuting out of the plane , and his parachute was caught in the wing ' s brace wires , causing Barksdale to fall to his death . He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery . The name of the airfield was changed to Barksdale Air Force Base on 13 February 1948 , concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate military branch . Airship s were still in use when field construction began , so Hangars One and Two were built large enough to accommodate them . No airships were ever assigned , but each hangar was large enough to accommodate two B - 52 aircraft wingtip to wingtip , which proved invaluable for " Big Belly " and " Pacer Plank " modifications managed by Boeing ' s Wichita plant between 1965 and 1973 . For more information on the modifications , see B - 52 missions from U - Tapao . Half of the B - 52Fs mentioned were deployed from Barksdale , but never returned as they were replaced by B - 52Gs after the Vietnam War . Origins . As early as 1924 , the citizens of Shreveport became interested in hosting a military flying field . In 1926 , Shreveport citizens learned that the 3rd Attack Wing stationed at Fort Crockett , Texas , would be enlarged by 500 percent and would require at least to support aerial gunnery and a bombing range . In February 1928 , a delegation of prominent Shreveport citizens hired a young crop duster , an Air Corps captain named Harold Ross Harris , to fly over the local area and find a suitable site for an airfield . Captain Harris selected what he felt was an adequate location for a military airfield . It was a sprawling section of cotton plantation near Bossier City The site selection committee , representing the wealthiest taxpayers in the city , unanimously agreed upon the Barksdale Field location . A delegation of citizens traveled to Washington , D . C . , to personally present the advantages of the proposed site to the War Department . Following the return of this delegation , a special Army board visited Shreveport and reported the location met all requirements of the Air Corps . The site was selected 5 December 1928 , as the location of the airfield . Construction of Barksdale Field began in 1931 , when hangars , runways , and billets were built . Early flying operations began on 7 November 1932 , with the arrival of the 20th Pursuit Group and its three pursuit squadrons equipped with the Boeing P - 12 and P - 26 Peashooter . The airfield was officially opened and dedicated on 2 February 1933 . By the mid - 1930s , Barksdale Field was the headquarters and main base of the 3rd Attack Wing , equipped with the Curtiss A - 12 and Northrop A - 17 . The airfield was used by both fighter and attack pilots to hone their gunnery and bombing skills . Additional barracks were constructed 1936 – 1937 , and light bombers replaced pursuit and attack aircraft . World War II . Barksdale was developed as an Air Corps flying school November 1940 and the runway apron was completed mid - 1941 . Between 23 and 25 May 1940 , Barksdale Field was host to the Army ' s " complete military maneuvers " simulating European combat operations . Some 320 aircraft from throughout the Army Air Corps participated , as Major General Dwight D . Eisenhower watched . General George C . Marshall , the U . S . Army Chief of Staff , also briefly visited Barksdale Field during the latter stages of the maneuvers . During World War II , the airfield trained replacement crews and entire units between 1942 and 1945 . Known units that trained at Barksdale were : The 335th Bombardment Group ( Medium ) took over training duties as a permanent Operational Training Unit ( OTU ) on 17 July 1942 with Martin B - 26 Marauders . On 1 May 1944 , the 335th was replaced by the 331st Army Air Force ( AAF ) Base Unit as the OTU , being subsequently replaced by the 2621st AAF Base Unit on 1 December 1945 . The 2621st provided pilot training until 26 September 1947 , when it was inactivated and replaced by the 2621st Air Force Base Unit . Also during World War II Barksdale played host to the major contingent of the and Nationalist Chinese aircrews . Postwar years . Barksdale Field was renamed Barksdale Air Force Base on 13 January 1948 , with the designation of the United States Air Force as a separate service in 1947 . In the postwar year of the 1940s , Barksdale then became headquarters for the Air Training Command from 1945 to 1949 . The 47th Bombardment Wing , Light , equipped first with the Douglas B - 26 Invader was assigned on 19 November 1948 , from Biggs Field for transitioning to the North American B - 45 Tornado . The B - 45 was the United States Air Force ' s first operational jet bomber , and the first jet aircraft to be refueled in the air . The first B - 45As began arriving in December 1948 , with the wing accepting 96 aircraft by March 1950 . Due to budget reductions in the B - 45 program , the air force planned to inactivate the 47th Bomb Wing and transfer its B - 45s and personnel to Yokota AB , Japan so Far East Air Forces could benefit from the know - how gained by the 47th at Barksdale . However the costs of moving the aircraft to Japan were substantial , as the range of the B - 45 was insufficient to fly from California to Hawaii , and the aircraft could not be equipped with external fuel tanks . Initial use of the B - 45 at Barksdale also showed that the aircraft was not truly operational , with ineffective fire control and bombing systems along with structural weaknesses developing on the aircraft already in use . In addition , each engine had to be inspected after only 7½ hours of use . If found serviceable , it could be only flown another 7½ hours before a total overhaul was necessary . It was determined that the aircraft simply could not be deployed overseas and put into operational use . It took almost two years until Air Materiel Command could work out these issues and have the 47th Bomb Wing ' s aircraft ready for operational use . The 47th Bomb Wing was assigned to NATO and was reassigned first to Langley AFB in March 1951 , then afterwards to RAF Sculthorpe , England , arriving in the UK on 1 May 1951 . With the departure of the 47th , Barksdale phased out bomber crew training . U . S . Representative Joe D . Waggonner , Jr . , worked successfully to keep Barksdale open during his time in Congress . Through his efforts , Barksdale survived base closures that occurred elsewhere across the nation . Cold War . On 1 November 1949 , Barksdale was reassigned to Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) , and became home of Headquarters Second Air Force . Barksdale remained a SAC base for nearly the next half - century . However , with the change of commands , the mission of Barksdale initially remained that of a training base where units were formed and organized , then were reassigned to front - line operational bases . 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing . The first SAC unit at Barksdale was the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was reassigned to the base from McGuire AFB on 1 October . The mission of the 91st was to provide global strategic reconnaissance , with emphasis on aerial photography and mapping . The 91st was equipped with a myriad of aircraft , including versions of the Boeing B - 17 Flying Fortress ( RB / TRB - 17 ) ; B - 29 Superfortress , ( RB / TB / TRB - 29 ) ; Douglas C - 54 Skymaster ( RC - 54 ) ; B - 50 Superfortress ( B / RB - 50 ) , and the RB - 45 Tornado . The 91st maintained operational detachments of aircraft and crews drawn from several components to provide reconnaissance support in overseas areas , including the United Kingdom and locations in North Africa . Deployments would be routine and last for periods of about three months . When the Korean War broke out in 1950 , a three - plane detachment from the wing flew to Johnson Air Base , Japan to provide the Far East Air Forces commander improved reconnaissance capability . The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron remained in Japan for the duration of the war and flew reconnaissance missions over North Korea and the Sea of Japan . The wing also sent a detachment of RB - 29 refueling aircraft , and conducted the first aerial refueling under combat conditions when a KB - 29P refueled an RC - 45C over North Korea in July 1951 With the arrival of the 376th Bomb wing in October 1951 , the decision was made to reassign the 91st . On 16 June 1952 the 91st was reassigned to Lockbourne AFB , Ohio . 301st Bombardment Wing . The 301st Bombardment Wing joined the 91st SRW at Barksdale on 7 November 1949 , being transferred from Smoky Hill AFB , Kansas , where it was reactivated the year before . Both wings operated a joint integrated headquarters although each wing continued tactical operations independently . Initially flying the B - 29 , after arriving at Barksdale the 301st was one of the first units to conduct aerial refueling operations with the KB - 29 tanker version of the Superfortress . The wing converted to the Boeing B - 47 Stratojet in 1953 and traded in its KB - 29 tankers for the upgraded Boeing KC - 97 Stratotanker . The mission of the 301st was to train for strategic bombing missions and to conduct aerial refueling . The wing deployed to England in 1953 and to French Morocco in 1954 . It was reassigned to Lockbourne AFB , Ohio on 15 April 1958 where it became an Electronic Countermeasures ( ECM ) unit and was engaged in various clandestine intelligence missions . To provide air defense of the base , United States Army established the Barksdale Defense Area in 1959 and constructed Nike - Hercules Surface - to - air missile sites for air defense . Sites were located near Bellevue ( N . E . of Shreveport ) ( BD - 10 , and Stonewall ( BD - 50 ) Louisiana . They were operational between November 1960 and March 1966 when they were inactivated as part of the reduction of the air defenses in the United States against aircraft . 376th Bombardment Wing . On 10 October 1951 the 376th Bombardment Wing was reassigned to Barksdale from Forbes AFB Kansas . Initially equipped with obsolescent B - 29s , the wing upgraded to the B - 47 in 1953 and engaged in ECM operations , which became the wing ' s primary mission in September 1953 . The 376th began EB - 47s from 1954 . The wing was reassigned to Lockbourne AFB on 1 December 1957 where it replaced and absorbed the personnel and assets of the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and was redesignated the 376th Bombardment Wing ( electronics countermeasures ) , flying EB - 47E ' s . 4238th Strategic Wing . Following the transfer 301st and 378th Bomb Wings in 1957 and 1958 respectively , Barksdale was slated to receive Boeing ' s newest pair of strategic aircraft : the B - 52 Stratofortress and the KC - 135 Stratotanker . The mission of Barksdale was also changed from being a SAC training base to a front - line operational base . It received its new aircraft and mission in the form of the 4238th Strategic Wing which was a derivative of the 7th Bomb Wing from Carswell AFB , Texas . The 4238th was equipped with the B - 52F and KC - 135A strategic tankers that were assigned to Barksdale . Its units consisted of the 436th Bomb Squadron and 913th Air Refueling squadron . It was assigned to Barksdale on 3 May 1958 as part of SAC ' s plan to disburse its big bombers over a larger number of bases , thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike . The 436th Bomb Squadron consisted of 15 aircraft . Half of the planes were maintained on fifteen - minute alert , fully fueled , armed , and ready for combat . The remaining planes were used for training in bombardment missions and air refueling operations . 1st Combat Evaluation Group . The 1st Combat Evaluation Group ( 1961 – 90 ) reporting directly to the Deputy Commander of Operations , Strategic Air Command Headquarters , Offutt AFB , Nebraska , to provide command level standardization / evaluation of SAC aircrews , radar scoring of simulated bombing activity by SAC aircraft ; and contingency warfare support of ground directed bombing , with detachments in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War . In 1990 , part of the 1CEVG became the 99 Electronic Combat Range Group and was the 99th Range Group became part of the Nellis AFB 98th Range Wing in 1995 . 2d Bombardment Wing . The 4238th Strategic Wing was phased out on 1 April 1963 . The 2d Bombardment Wing , Heavy was reassigned without equipment or personnel to Barksdale from Hunter AFB , Georgia . taking over the B - 52 and KC - 135 mission from the 4238th Strategic Wing . The aircraft and crews remained at the base , but the wing ( and its bomb squadron ) were given new designations , the 20th Bombardment Squadron and 913th Air Refueling Squadron . The 2d Bomb Wing under various designations , has been the host unit at Barksdale for over 40 years . The 20th retained the B - 52Fs until being transferred in June 1965 to the 7th Bomb Wing at Carswell AFB . It was replaced by the 62d Bomb Squadron , which flew the B - 52G which was reassigned from the inactivating 39th Bombardment Wing at Eglin AFB , Florida . A second " G " squadron , the 596th Bomb Squadron was reassigned to Barksdale in April 1968 from the 397th Bombardment Wing at Dow AFB , Maine . During the Vietnam War , the 2d Bomb Wing deployed to Southeast Asia for " Arc Light " and " Young Tiger " , including use B - 52G in Linebacker I and Linebacker II raids of 1972 – 73 at the end of the Vietnam war . In addition to a the Motorola SST - 181 X Band Beacon Transponder for Combat Skyspot , the B - 52G had onboard electronic countermeasures for protection against enemy Surface - to - air missile s . In the latter stages of Linebacker II , some of the B - 52Gs were diverted in - flight to targets deemed to be less dangerous . All aircraft and crews returned to Barksdale in January and October 1973 . Post - Vietnam era From 1973 – 1992 , Barksdale hosted the annual Strategic Air Command Bombing and Navigation Competition and awards symposium . After spending weeks dropping bombs on ranges throughout the United States and engaging in navigational competition , SAC ' s finest bomber and tanker aircrews gathered here for the score posting and awards presentation , and to work together to improve the training of SAC aircrews . Headquarters Second Air Force was inactivated on 1 January 1975 , being replaced by Headquarters Eighth Air Force which was transferred to Barksdale after being located at Andersen AFB , Guam for five years in charge of SAC strategic operations for the Vietnam War . At Barksdale , the Eighth took over the operations and personnel of the inactivated Second Air Force . In 1978 , the Eighth Air Force Museum was established at Barksdale with the arrival of a B - 17 Flying Fortress of the type the " Mighty Eighth " flew during World War II . The museum has grown greatly over the years , and today its collection includes the B - 24 , B - 29 , B - 47 , B - 52 D , B - 52G , British Avro Vulcan B . Mk2 , FB - 111A , C - 45 , C - 47 , VC - 64 , KC - 97 , KC - 135 , P / F - 51D , F - 84 F , MiG - 21 F , T - 33 and SR - 71 A . Barksdale ' s 32d Air Refueling Squadron received the first operational KC - 10A Extender aerial tanker in November 1981 . The 32d ARS was reassigned to the 458th Operations Group on 1 June 1992 and to the 305th Operations Group on 1 July 1995 . The 71st ARS was reassigned to the 458th Operations Group at McGuire AFB , New Jersey . Barksdale ' s last KC - 135 was placed in the Eighth Air Force Museum after its final flight in March 1994 and the last KC - 10 departed for McGuire AFB in October . In April 1982 , and again in December 1990 , the space shuttle Columbia made stops at Barksdale on its way back to Cape Canaveral . On 20 September 2009 , the airport was again used as a refuelling stop for the Space Shuttle ' s return flight to the Kennedy Space Center , as has done numerous times before . This time is was the Space Shuttle Discovery that was being piggybacked from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and Space Shuttle Discovery remained at Barksdale over night . Operation Just Cause / Desert Shield / Desert Storm Barksdale played significant roles in Operation Just Cause to restore democracy to Panama in December 1989 , Operation Desert Shield in August 1990 and Operation Desert Storm in January 1991 . The first combat sortie of Desert Storm was launched from Barksdale , when seven B - 52Gs flew a 35 - hour mission – the longest combat sortie in history at that time – to fire a barrage of conventional air - launched cruise missiles against Iraq . The B - 52s from Barksdale that were deployed to Morón Air Base , Spain ( a former SAC " Reflex " base ) dropped 10 percent of all U . S . Air Force bombs during the Persian Gulf War . Post - Cold War Upon its return from the Middle East , the 2d Bombardment Wing , Heavy was redesignated the 2d Wing with its implementation of the objective wing organization on 1 September 1991 . The base turned its attention from combat to more peaceful pursuits when two B - 52s , a KC - 10 and their crews visited Dyagilevo Air Base , Russia , in March 1992 . In May 1992 , Barksdale hosted a return visit by two Russian Tu - 95 " Bear " bombers , an An - 124 " Condor " transport and 58 Russian airmen . The Russians stayed for six days , seeing a slice of America and participating in Strategic Air Command ' s final Bombing and Navigation Competition awards symposium . The Russians visited again in August 1994 , bringing a Tu - 95 " Bear " and an Il - 78 aerial tanker . Barksdale began a friendship with Ukrainian Air Force airmen later in 1994 , when a B - 52 and KC - 10 visited Poltava Air Base , Ukraine . In April 1992 , 265 buildings on Barksdale ' s main base were placed on the National Register of Historic Places . The area from the Shreveport Gate to the flightline and from the Bossier Gate to Hoban Hall make up the Barksdale Field Historic District , along with much of family housing . On 1 June 1992 , Barksdale was transferred from the inactivating Strategic Air Command to the newly activated Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . All active - duty aircraft assigned to Barksdale were assigned ACC tail codes of " LA " . An equipment change began also in 1992 when the 596th Bomb Squadron retired its B - 52Gs and replaced them with B - 52Hs from inactivating squadrons at other former SAC bases . The 596th itself was inactivated when it was replaced by the 96th Bomb Squadron on 1 October 1993 . The 20th Bomb Squadron was reassigned to the 2d Wing on 17 December 1992 when it and its B - 52Hs were reassigned to Barksdale from the 7th Wing , the latter which was relocating from the closing Carswell AFB , Texas and transferring to Dyess AFB , Texas in order to transition to the B - 1 Lancer . In October 1993 , the 2d Wing was redesignated as the 2d Bomb Wing when the 71st Air Refueling Squadron and its KC - 135A / Qs were reassigned to the Air Mobility Command . A third B - 52H squadron was assigned to the wing on 1 July 1994 when the 11th Bomb Squadron was activated at Barksdale . The mission of the 11th BS is that of a Formal Training Unit ( FTU ) for the B - 52H . 1990s combat operations Barksdale became the focus of attention once again in September 1996 as two of its B - 52s fired 13 conventional air - launched cruise missiles on surface - to - air missile sites and air defense radars in Iraq . Dubbed Operation Desert Strike , the mission came in response to Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein ' s attacks on Kurds in northern Iraq and was the first combat employment of the B - 52H in history . In only a span of 80 hours , Barksdale B - 52s and support personnel deployed forward to Andersen Air Force Base , Guam , carried out the strike against Iraqi targets and returned to Guam . Fourteen months later , in November 1997 , personnel and aircraft deployed from Barksdale to the British island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean by order of the president . They joined forces already in the region in response to a renewed bout of provocations and threats made by Saddam Hussein . Remaining at Diego Garcia until June 1998 , Barksdale ' s forces bolstered the ability to defend the security of the region against possible aggression by Iraq and to accomplish specific military objectives if a diplomatic solution to the confrontation could not be achieved . Six B - 52s and personnel from Barksdale were again deployed to Diego Garcia in November 1998 becoming part of the 2d Air Expeditionary Group . Seven bombers and about 180 people deployed in response to Iraq ' s refusal to cooperate with U . N . weapons inspectors . Although president Bill Clinton called off strikes after Hussein ' s last - minute concessions to meet U . N . demands , Iraq ' s cooperation continued to deteriorate . U . S . military forces , including Barksdale ' s B - 52s , launched a sustained series of air strikes against Iraq shortly after midnight 17 December 1998 . The three - day - long campaign , dubbed Operation Desert Fox , followed the latest in a series of roadblocks by the Iraqi government against weapons inspections conducted by the U . N . Special Commission . From March to June 1999 , ten B - 52s and personnel of the 2d Bomb Wing played a prominent role in halting the brutal Serb expulsion of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo . Operating from RAF Fairford as part of the 2d Air Expeditionary Group in the United Kingdom , Barksdale B - 52s flew over 180 combat sorties and released over 6 , 600 weapons against military targets throughout the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during Operation Allied Force . Global War on Terrorism Immediately following the devastating terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 , Barksdale provided a safe haven for president George W . Bush on his return flight to the nation ' s capitol . Shortly thereafter , the National Command Authority called upon the base to provide substantial forces to spearhead the Global War on Terrorism . Operating from multiple overseas locations , Barksdale warrior s and B - 52s , both active and reserve alike , played a key role in Operation Enduring Freedom , which saw the elimination of the repressive Taliban regime of Afghanistan . The operation also resulted in the destruction of the Al - Qaeda leadership and training infrastructure that had previously resided with impunity in that country . Returning yet again to the skies of Iraq , Barksdale B - 52s flew over 150 combat sorties against military targets throughout the southern half of the country during Operation Iraqi Freedom . 917th Wing ( Air Force Reserve Command ) . The 917th Wing was originally formed as the 917th Troop Carrier Group on 17 January 1963 at Barksdale and was assigned to the 435th Troop Carrier Wing . Its mission was to administer and support its assigned 78th Troop Carrier Squadron which was equipped with Douglas C - 124 Globemaster IIs . On 1 July 1963 , both the group and squadron were reassigned to the 442nd Troop Carrier Wing because their new gaining command , the Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) , wanted all five Air Force Reserve C - 124 Groups assigned to the same wing . The units were reassigned to the 512th Troop Carrier Wing on 25 March 1965 . Reflecting similar changes in the active force , the 917th was redesignated twice – initially to the 917th Air Transport Group in 1965 , and then to the 917th Military Airlift Group in 1966 . The 917th Military Airlift Group was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its exceptional safety record of more than 55 , 000 accident - free flying hours and global support missions . On 26 April 1972 , the unit was redesignated the 917th Special Operations Group , with Tactical Air Command as the gaining major air command . As the missions changed , the unit was redesignated the 917th Tactical Fighter Group ( 917 TFG ) on 1 October 1973 . The 78th Troop Carrier Squadron was subsequently inactivated and replaced by the 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron . During the late 1980s , the 917 TFG group was upgraded to wing status and renamed the 917th Tactical Fighter Wing ( 917 TFW ) . Due to air force restructuring in June 1992 , Tactical Air Command was combined with all elements of the Strategic Air Command ( except KC - 135 and KC - 10 aircraft ) to form the new Air Combat Command ( ACC ) . The 917th Tactical Fighter Wing joined Air Combat Command and " Tactical " was dropped from its name . On 1 October 1993 , the 917th Fighter Wing ( 917 FW ) saw important changes once again . The 46th Fighter Training Squadron was inactivated when the active - duty Air Force took control of all fighter replacement training . On this same day , the 917th became the first unit in Air Force Reserve history to acquire a strategic mission : B - 52Hs were added to the wing make - up and the 93rd Bomb Squadron was activated . Now a composite wing , the 917th dropped " Fighter " from its name and became the 917th Wing ( 917 WG ) . In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations , DoD recommended to realign Eielson Air Force Base , Alaska . Some of the 354th Fighter Wing ’ s assigned A - 10 aircraft ( located at Eielson AFB ) would be distributed to the 917th Wing Barksdale Air Force Base ( three aircraft ) . This recommendation was made because , although a base with high military value , Eielson was an expensive base to maintain . In another Recommendation , DoD recommended to realign Air Force Reserve fighter assets at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans , LA . It would distribute six of the 926th Fighter Wing ’ s A - 10 aircraft to the 917th Wing . On 20 September 2009 , the airport was used as a refuelling stop for the Space Shuttle Discovery ' s return flight to the Kennedy Space Center that was being piggybacked from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth . The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and Space Shuttle Discovery remained at Barksdale over night . 307th Bomb Wing ( Air Force Reserve Command ) . On 1 January 2011 , Air Force Reserve Command inactivated the 917th Wing , while at the same time activating the 307th Bomb Wing , which subsumed the B - 52 units of the 917th Wing . The A - 10 units of the 917th Wing remain at Barksdale AFB , under the newly created 917th Fighter Group , while organizational control is with the 442d Fighter Wing , Whiteman AFB , Missouri . Bent Spear incident . On 30 August 2007 , a B - 52 originating from Minot Air Force Base carried six AGM - 129 ACM cruise missiles , each loaded with a W80 - 1 variable yield nuclear warhead , to Barksdale without the knowledge of base personnel or crew . This incident sparked controversy across the country . As an end result of the situation , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that , " A substantial number of Air Force general officers and colonels have been identified as potentially subject to disciplinary measures , ranging from removal from command to letters of reprimand , " and that he had accepted the resignations of USAF Secretary Michael Wynne and USAF Chief of Staff Michael Moseley . Bossier Base . Bossier Base , now called The East Reservation due to its location east of the runway , was formerly a Defense Atomic Support Agency ( DASA ) Q clearance maintenance and WSA during the Cold War . It was similar to Sandia Base ' s Manzano . Once entirely independent of the USAF and Barksdale AFB , it has been merged with the main base .