DEFENSE LEADERS, DELEGATION VISIT MINOT AIR FORCE BASE
Congressional Leaders, Defense Secretary Tour Base, Talk Nuclear Mission, B-52s
Monday, December 1, 2008
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(MINOT, N.D.) --- Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz today joined Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Congressman Earl Pomeroy on a visit to Minot Air Force Base. The military leaders met with airmen to detail Minot’s ongoing role in defending the nation.
The Congressional delegation praised the recent decision by Secretary of the Air Force Michael 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.
“Minot Air Force Base is unique in that it is the only base in the nation to host both bombers and missiles with nuclear missions,” the Congressional delegation said in a joint statement. “As such, we spoke with Secretary Gates and General Schwartz about the advantages of establishing the new Air Force nuclear command in Minot.”
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 visit by Secretary Gates comes on the heels of a recent meeting between North Dakota’s Congressional delegation and Secretary Donley and General Schwartz, in which the Air Force leadership confirmed that Minot would be home to a new B-52 squadron that could bring hundreds of airmen and 10 additional bombers to the Air Force Base. By establishing the new bomber wing in Minot, the number of combat-ready aircraft there will increase from 12 to 22.
“Today’s visit by Secretary Gates and General Schwartz is further evidence of the confidence America’s military leadership has in Minot Air Force Base,” the delegation said. “The men and women of Minot Air Force Base have proven over and over again that ‘Only the Best Come North,’ and we have confidence they will perform their duties with distinction.”
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