WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today met with Colonel Benjamin W. Spencer, Commander of the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, to discuss efforts to support the base community and strengthen the base’s vital role in protecting the United States’ national security.

“Colonel Spencer and his team are doing a top-notch job carrying out the national security missions at Grand Forks Air Force Base, and I appreciate the opportunity to discuss the needs of the base and our military families with him,” Heitkamp said. “Our discussion focused on ways to position the base to attract future missions, as well as reinforce the importance to U.S. national security of its current missions like the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Through the defense policy bill that recently passed the Senate and continued engagement with our military leaders, I’m fighting for Grand Forks and all of North Dakota’s national security assets so we can keep North Dakota’s communities strong and safe.”

Heitkamp has consistently fought to support both of North Dakota’s Air Force bases, and is a co-founder of the Senate Defense Communities Caucus.

At Heitkamp’s request, General Lori J. Robinson, Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), visited with leaders and airmen at Grand Forks Air Force Base in August to see the base’s potential for Arctic missions, work with the Global Hawk, and its innovation in remotely piloted aircraft operations and training up close.

Heitkamp’s work to boost Grand Forks Air Force Base includes efforts to promote:

• Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) research: Heitkamp recently secured an amendment in the National Defense Authorization Act calling for the military to use facilities such as the Northern Plains UAS Test Site in Grand Forks to research and develop capabilities to defend against the threat that unmanned aircraft could pose to military installations like those in North Dakota. 

• 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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