DELEGATION URGES AIR FORCE TO HOUSE NEW NUCLEAR COMMAND IN MINOT
North Dakota Airbase a Logical Choice for New Nuclear Headquarters, Delegation says
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- Minot Air Force Base should be chosen as the home for the nation’s new nuclear command according to Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Congressman Earl Pomeroy, who met today with the top two leaders of the Air Force to discuss issues related to U.S. nuclear forces.
The meeting between North Dakota’s Congressional Delegation and Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and General Norton A. Schwartz, the Air Force Chief of Staff, was the latest joint effort to map out the future of North Dakota’s Air Force bases in Minot and Grand Forks.
“The Air Force has rightly decided to streamline the chain of command for the nation’s nuclear forces by establishing a new command,” the delegation said in a joint statement. “Because the Minot Air Force Base is the only base in the nation to host both bombers and missiles with nuclear missions, it would be a natural fit 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).
The congressional delegation praised the recent decision by Secretary Donley and Gen. Schwartz to institute a new nuclear-focused command to oversee all nuclear assets. The Air Force says this new organization will provide a clearer chain of command for all Air Force nuclear forces and ensure that they receive the attention and resources needed to perform their mission of deterring attacks on the United States.
The delegation also raised the issue of future missions for Grand Forks Air Force Base in the meeting with top Air Force leaders. The delegation reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Air Force to accelerate the arrival of new missions to Grand Forks. The Air Force has repeatedly stated its intent to bring Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and new tankers to Grand Forks, but delays in the procurement of new tankers have created a risk that base operations could shrink prior to the arrival of those aircraft.
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