Press Releases
April 16, 2008
Conrad Briefs Minot Base Leader on Senate ICBM Coalition Efforts
Updating Current Level of ICBMs a Critical Nuclear Deterrent, Senator says
Washington – Senator Kent Conrad met with the leadership of Minot Air Force Base today to discuss plans to further modernize the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force, one wing of which is deployed at Minot.
“The men and women at the Minot Air Force Base are working hard to maintain and safeguard these critical tools for our national defense,” said Senator Conrad. “With their help, our nation’s ICBM force will continue to serve as the preeminent deterrent around the globe and, with proper maintenance, will continue to do so well into the 21st century.”
Senator Conrad met in his Capitol Hill office with Colonel Marty Whelan, the commander of the 91st Space Wing at Minot Air Force Base. Col. Whelan was in Washington to brief Senator Conrad on the status of the 91st Space Wing and to thank the Senator for his support of the air base.
Senator Conrad recently urged leaders of the Senate Armed Services and Senate Appropriations Committees to provide additional funding to the Air Force to modernize and maintain the nation’s ICBM levels.
The current fleet of Minuteman III missiles is located at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, and Minot Air Force Base, which controls 150 Minuteman III missiles spread across North Dakota’s northwestern landscape.
Air Force officials maintain that the nation’s ICBM force is the most stable and secure element of the nation’s deterrent force. For that reason, the Air Force has indicated its intention to maintain the current level of 450 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles for the foreseeable future. Legislation authored by Senator Conrad in 2006 set the goal of preserving the missiles until at least 2030.
“The world continues to be a dangerous place, and we face increasing threats as rogue nations seek to obtain nuclear weapons,” Senator Conrad said. “The ICBM force is safe, secure, and cost effective. It remains critical to our nation’s security.”
Senator Conrad is the founder and chairman of the Senate ICBM coalition, which works to protect the nation’s ICBM force.
