Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven hosted General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander of the Air Combat Command (ACC), in Grand Forks this week to discuss current and future Air Force operations in the Red River Valley. As a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven invited Wilsbach to visit North Dakota during a meeting earlier this year and reiterated the invitation in a call last week.

During the visit, Hoeven, along with Wilsbach and Senator Kevin Cramer, held meetings at the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB), the University of North Dakota (UND), and Grand Sky. This initiative is part of Hoeven’s efforts to strengthen existing missions and lay groundwork for future partnerships and operations.

"The Red River Valley is home to essential Air Force and Air Guard operations, as well as a robust UAS industry with research, development, testing and training capabilities unmatched by anywhere else in the world," said Hoeven. "That’s why we invited ACC Commander General Wilsbach to this region. This is about strengthening our existing missions and laying the groundwork for future partnerships and operations, from conducting ISR to developing counter-UAS and practical applications for unmanned aircraft."

Hoeven has worked on securing future Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities by passing prohibitions on retiring the Global Hawk fleet through annual defense funding and authorization bills. He has also secured full funding for these missions to ensure that U.S. ISR capabilities are maintained while new technologies are developed.

In addition, Hoeven advocated for ACC's utilization of Project ULTRA—a new UAS initiative he established—to develop, test, and demonstrate various Air Force applications for unmanned aircraft.

Hoeven continues to advance North Dakota’s UAS industry as a key partner in developing cost-effective methods for countering adversaries' drone technology. He highlighted threats such as drone swarm attacks against Israel and Ukraine that require expensive countermeasures from the U.S. Accordingly, he stressed utilizing Project ULTRA along with resources from Grand Sky, Northern Plains UAS Test Site, UND, among others in North Dakota to develop less resource-intensive methods for protecting against UAS threats.

This effort complements legislation introduced by Hoeven aimed at supporting counter-UAS technology development and protecting important facilities from potential misuse of unmanned aircraft. Currently, he sponsors a bill to renew and expand upon these authorities.

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