Central ND News

MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven held a planning meeting with members of Task Force 21 to advance the modernization of dual-nuclear missions at Minot Air Force Base (MAFB). This initiative includes his efforts to counter the capabilities being developed by Russia and China.

"We need to keep advancing nuclear modernization so we can effectively counter the capabilities being developed by Russia and China. The Minot community is a critical part of this effort, which is why we’re engaging in an active planning process with local leaders, while also pressing for concurrent construction at all three bases to keep these programs on track and help reduce costs," said Hoeven. "Further, that’s why our efforts during the recent Nunn-McCurdy review were so important, where we worked to ensure DoD reached a conclusion that would enable this essential national security initiative to move forward, while opening the door for us to find cost savings in the Sentinel program, including the potential for constructing facilities at all three missile bases concurrently."

Hoeven added, "At the same time, the full Senate Appropriations Committee just approved our FY2025 funding bill for military construction, which includes provisions I wrote to ensure the Air Force has a plan for investing in Minot’s Weapons Storage Area that lines up with the LRSO’s development as well as reliable assessments of existing ICBM infrastructure that can help reduce the costs of deploying the Sentinel in the future."

Last week, Hoeven discussed results from a review of the Sentinel program with Under Secretary of Defense Dr. William LaPlante, Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife, Under Secretary of the Air Force Melissa Dalton and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Andrew Hunter.

This follows Hoeven's engagements with officials such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown Jr., Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin. In a letter to Secretary Austin last month and during recent Senate committee hearings with Brown Jr., Kendall and Allvin, Hoeven outlined his priorities for robust deployment within the ICBM leg of nuclear triad.

Previously, Hoeven secured full funding in FY2024 for national nuclear modernization programs and is working towards continued support in FY2025 funding bills.