Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven has expressed his support for the confirmation of Troy Meink as Secretary of the Air Force. Following a vote, Hoeven released a statement highlighting the importance of North Dakota's military missions to national defense. He emphasized that many of these operations fall under the purview of the Air Force and Space Force.

“North Dakota is home to a growing contingent of missions that are central to our nation’s defense, most of which fall under the Air Force and Space Force. Secretary Meink will be an important partner as we work to strengthen these operations and ensure their effectiveness over the long-term, including modernizing our nuclear deterrent in Minot, supporting unmanned missions and counter-drone tech development in Grand Forks, enhancing the capabilities of the radar at Cavalier and reinforcing the missions of our Air National Guard in Fargo,” said Hoeven. “We also look forward to working with Meink to bring a future ISR mission to the Grand Forks Air Force Base and ensure the U.S. has sufficient capacity in this critical area.”

As part of his role on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven plans to collaborate with Secretary Meink on various initiatives aimed at bolstering both new and existing military projects within North Dakota. Key areas include advancing modernization efforts for dual-nuclear missions at Minot Air Force Base, developing counter-drone technologies through Project ULTRA, establishing an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission at Grand Forks Air Force Base, and supporting MQ-9 operations for North Dakota's Air National Guard.