 The 4133d wing was established by SAC in a program to disperse its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress 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.Half of the wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat.The 4133d (and later the 319th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the end of the Cold War.