Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven, during the North Dakota National Guard's Roughrider Conference in Bismarck, outlined his initiatives aimed at advancing military construction and enhancing benefits for Guard members. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committees responsible for defense funding, Hoeven is working on several fronts to support the state's military missions.

Hoeven emphasized the importance of aligning Guard members' benefits with those of active-duty personnel. He highlighted education benefits as a critical recruitment tool, particularly for high-tech operations like the 119th Wing’s Reaper mission. "North Dakota plays an ever-growing role in our nation’s defense," Hoeven stated. "Considering how much we ask of our Guard members, they deserve to receive benefits that are in line with their active duty counterparts."

In terms of facility construction, Hoeven has secured significant funding for various projects across North Dakota. These include $20 million for the Dickinson Readiness Center and ongoing efforts to establish a Line of Communications Bridge training site at Camp Grafton. Additionally, he has facilitated planning and design funding for facilities such as the Jamestown Readiness Center and the 119th Wing Consolidated Readiness Support Facility in Fargo.

On improving Guard member benefits, Hoeven reintroduced the Air Guard Standardizing Tuition Assistance to Unify the Services (STATUS) Act alongside Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Jerry Moran, and Michael Bennet. This legislation aims to establish a permanent federal tuition assistance program for Air National Guard members similar to what is available for Army National Guard personnel.

The Senator's initiatives also include advocating measures in the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. These measures focus on modernizing equipment like the UH-72 Lakota helicopter and developing plans to provide MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to the Army National Guard.

Hoeven continues to push for strong support of military missions within North Dakota, including activities by the Air Guard’s 119th Wing in Fargo and other strategic operations across Minot and Grand Forks.