Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven today announced the acquisition of an $11.6 million grant to establish a fire station serving Grand Sky and the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB). As a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven advanced the award under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), which he has supported through annual appropriations legislation. Hoeven advocated for the project to Department of Defense (DoD) officials, including General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander of the Air Combat Command, who visited Grand Forks earlier this year.

Hoeven emphasized to DoD officials the necessity of reducing the current 20-minute response time for local fire services to reach the base, particularly its southern portion. He also highlighted the importance of providing adequate emergency services for critical space and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities housed in Grand Forks that support DoD missions globally. Additionally, he noted more than $4 billion in DoD assets at Grand Sky, including the Test Resource Management Center’s Range Hawk Program and General Atomics’ MQ-9 training services for NATO partners.

“This nearly $12 million grant to establish fire protection facilities at Grand Sky and the Grand Forks Air Force Base supports our ongoing work to expand existing Air Force, DoD and Space Development Agency operations in this region, as well as secure future missions and partnerships for the base, the tech park, private industry and institutions like the University of North Dakota,” said Hoeven. “By building a fire station that is dedicated to serving the base as well as Grand Sky, we are providing greater certainty for these critical missions. At the same time, we are helping position Grand Forks to continue growing as a key player in missions around the globe, supporting operations from the ground all the way up into space.”

This development is part of Hoeven’s broader efforts to enhance existing missions at GFAFB and attract new operations to both GFAFB and Grand Sky technology park. The new fire protection station will be vital in ensuring current mission security while providing resources needed for future operational growth. Among other priorities, Hoeven aims to secure future ISR missions for GFAFB and forge further partnerships between the Air Force and institutions like UND and Grand Sky. These collaborations aim to strengthen U.S. counter-unmanned aerial systems (c-UAS) capabilities through Project ULTRA and maximize Grand Sky’s Enhanced Use Lease with GFAFB.

Hoeven is also working on expanding Space Development Agency satellite missions with Advanced Fire Control operations at GFAFB.

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