This past week Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett visited Minot Air Force Base.

Barrett, who became secretary of the Air Force last year, focused her visit here on the quality of life, including a tour of base facilities and meeting with airmen and their families.

Barrett’s visit to the base on Thursday follows a visit last month by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, along with Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer.

They are among many distinguished visitors to visit the Minot base each year. Last year alone the base had 288 distinguished visitors.

Minot AFB is a unique military base as the only dual wing, nuclear-capable installation. The 5th Bomb Wing, led by Col. Bradley Cochran, has the B-52s. The 91st Missile Wing, led by Col. Glenn Harris, operates, maintains and secures the land-based Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles in the Minot missile field. These are two legs of the nuclear triad. The Navy’s submarine-launched ballistic missiles are the third leg of the nuclear triad.

Minot AFB is a place where distinguished visitors can see in one stop the operations of the bomb and missile wings that make the base so powerful and strategic, said Cochran in a story recently published in The Minot Daily News.

Distinguished visitors also come to the base to show their appreciation and to recognize those who carry out and support these missions.

“It’s our honor and privilege to do this and to educate our senior leaders on how important it is,” Cochran said.