Press Releases
October 8, 2008
Conrad: Air Force to Form Nuclear-Focused Command
Minot Air Force Base a Natural Fit to House New Command, Senator says
Washington – In a letter to Air Force Secretary Michael Donley, Senator Kent Conrad today urged the Air Force to consider Minot Air Force Base as a potential headquarters for a newly formed major command with responsibility for overseeing all nuclear assets in the Air Force’s arsenal.
“I welcome the decision by the Air Force to streamline the chain of command for day-to-day stewardship of the nation’s nuclear-capable forces by establishing this new major command,” Senator Conrad said. “The Minot Air Force Base is the only air base in the nation that hosts both bombers and missiles with nuclear missions, so it should be at the top of the list of potential homes for this new command.”
Minot Air Force Base is home to the B-52H Stratofortress bombers of the 5th Bomb Wing as well as the 91st Missile Wing and its fleet of 150 Minuteman III Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Last week, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Norton Schwartz, met with Air Force leaders to finalize plans to restore and maintain focus on the nation’s nuclear missions. At that meeting the top generals and Air Force civilians decided to institute a new nuclear-focused major command to oversee all nuclear assets.
Senator Conrad recently met with Gen. Schwartz to express the strategic importance of Minot Air Force Base and maintaining the nation’s force of ICBMs while upgrading the nation’s B-52 fleet. General Schwartz echoed Senator Conrad’s sentiments, stressing the critical importance of the nuclear mission and the numerous actions the Air Force is taking to restore confidence in the security of our nation’s nuclear forces.
The Air Force says this new command will provide a clear chain of command for all Air Force nuclear forces and better serve the nation’s nuclear deterrence and global strike missions.
Senator Conrad is a member of the Senate Air Force caucus and co-chairman of the ICBM caucus.
