Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven convened a roundtable in Minot, North Dakota, with Maj. Gen. Colin Connor, Director of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Modernization, and members of Task Force 21. The meeting focused on the progress of nuclear modernization efforts and ensuring that Minot Air Force Base is prepared for new systems once they are fully developed.

Hoeven has played a role in securing provisions within the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2026 funding legislation to support these objectives. As part of his work on defense and military construction appropriations committees, he is advocating for $2.6 billion for the Sentinel program. This funding, combined with $2.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3), brings total FY2026 funding for Sentinel to $5.1 billion.

The legislation also instructs the Air Force to create a plan and timeline for building Sentinel launch facilities at all three missile bases simultaneously. According to Hoeven, concurrent construction would speed up deployment of the Sentinel system and help lower overall costs.

Additionally, the measures call for full funding for development of the Long Range Stand Off (LRSO) missile and upgrades to B-52 aircraft. Security improvements at Minot Air Force Base’s existing Weapons Storage Area are also prioritized in order to accommodate the LRSO missile, which is expected to be operational in the early 2030s.

“We’re working across the DoD to keep our nuclear modernization efforts moving forward, and today’s meeting with MG Connor is an important step in that process,” said Hoeven “We appreciate him coming to Minot to meet directly with our community leaders on accelerating the Sentinel program. Through my role on the Senate Defense and Military Construction Appropriations committees, I’m working to give him the funding and tools he needs to accomplish this critical task, including legislation that directs the Air Force to develop a plan for concurrently constructing missile launch facilities at all three ICBM bases. That’s essential to move up Sentinel’s timeline and reduce construction costs. At the same time, we’re advancing measures to ensure Minot is ready to bring these new weapons systems online as soon as possible.”