WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp on Thursday spoke with General Robin Rand, the Commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, to reiterate her support for North Dakota’s Air Force bases and the need to modernize assets like the B-52 bomber while the next generation of aircraft is under development.

General Rand is the senior officer responsible for all bombers, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and nuclear command, control, and communications. 

“As the next generation of aircraft is developed, it’s essential for our B-52 bombers to continue to be maintained and modernized to carry out their mission and keep our nation and state strong and safe – and we need to do everything we can to make sure those updates happen at Minot Air Force Base,” Heitkamp said. “During our conversation, I thanked General Rand for his strong leadership, and was heartened to hear that he is focused on keeping North Dakota’s bases strong. We also talked about how the mission in Minot remains a key part of a tough, smart national security strategy to deter potential attacks and fight against terrorism abroad to effectively protect North Dakota and American families. The men and women who work tirelessly to keep us safe deserve the most secure, reliable aircraft, so we’ll continue to push for new engines for our B-52s while also supporting our ICBMs and other strategic assets.” 

Heitkamp is leading the push to replace engines on Minot Air Force Base’s B-52 bombers to keep North Dakota’s families safe and military installations strong. The bombers are currently 60 years old, designed back when most families were just getting their first TVs and decades before personal computers or cell phones—reinforcing how critical it is that these engines are updated with newer technology. Heitkamp is continuing to push for updated bombers that are more efficient and would cost less in the long run than maintaining older planes.

This week, Heitkamp praised Defense Secretary James Mattis’ commitment to the nuclear triad during his visit to Minot Air Force Base, his strongest statement to date supporting the critical missions of Minot’s B-52s and ICBMs.

Heitkamp’s work to boost North Dakota’s bases includes efforts to promote:

• Minot’s nuclear missions: The defense authorization Congress passed in December 2016 included a provision Heitkamp pushed for to keep development of the next generation of long-range strike bombers—like those in Minot—on track. The previous defense bill included parts of Heitkamp’s bipartisan Long Range Bomber Sustainment Act to make sure long-range bomber aircraft such as Minot’s B-52 bombers stay in service as long as they are needed. Heitkamp has also led the push to invest in new engines for the B-52 bombers, as she laid out in an op-ed in March.

• Grand Forks’ Global Hawk mission: In February 2016, Heitkamp spoke with General Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle, who oversaw the remotely-piloted Global Hawk missions, before he visited the base to stress that Grand Forks is ideal for Global Hawk and other missions. The 69th Reconnaissance Group at Grand Forks Air Force Base flies combat support missions as well as training and sensor operating missions.

• Grand Sky business and aviation park: Heitkamp has long advocated public-private partnerships like the Enhanced Use Lease that paved the way for Grand Sky opening as the first UAS business park of its kind in the nation. In December 2015, Heitkamp met with then-Air Force Assistant Secretary Miranda Ballentine about the importance of Grand Sky for both the Air Force and North Dakota.

• Arctic missions: Heitkamp successfully amended the defense authorization bill Congress passed in 2015 to improve the military’s Arctic strategy and make Grand Forks attractive for future Arctic missions. The bill required DOD to submit a report on protecting national security in the Arctic region. Heitkamp’s amendment strengthened the report, which was released recently, and positions North Dakota to play a significant role in Arctic missions.

 

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