Duties: For the first time, B-2 bombers will fly missions from an overseas base instead of the long, round-trip flights it has previously made from Whiteman Air Force Base.

CNN: 509th Bomb Wing

She is now one of only a few women in the Air Force qualified to fly bombers such as the B-52 and the swing-wing B-1.

CNN: But spokesman says resignation is option

Flinn, a 1993 Air Force Academy graduate, became a B-52 bomber pilot in 1995 as the service began allowing women to fly warplanes.

CNN: But spokesman says resignation is option

The administration has also made no decision about whether or how it will replace the B-52 bomber, which first flew in 1952, and under current plans will continue to fly until possibly 2037.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center for Security Policy | Mapping a National Security Failure: Ratification of the New START Treaty | Page: 15

The giant half-dome shelters are an essential part of the bomber fleet as the B-2 requires a controlled environment for repairs on the aircraft's delicate skin that allows it to fly undetected by radar.

CNN: 509th Bomb Wing