North Dakota's Air Force Tradition
North Dakota has always had a strong relationship with the U.S. Air Force, and is home to Minot Air Force Base, Grand Forks Air Force Base, Cavalier Air Force Station, and the 119th Air National Guard Wing in Fargo.
Senator Dorgan, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, has always maintained close relationships with the Secretaries, Chiefs of Staff, and other top officials in the Air Force as part of his work to sustain North Dakota's Air Force bases and ensure the state's Air Force personnel have the resources they need to carry out their critical missions.
With the new unmanned aircraft systems mission arriving at Grand Forks Air Force Base and members of the Happy Hooligans already piloting the aircraft in missions around the world, the Red River Valley is emerging as a hub of activity and expertise on unmanned systems. Senator Dorgan has secured federal funding to establish a Center of Excellence at the University of North Dakota to study UAV-related technology, and he pushed to bring a Northern Border Air Wing branch - a division of Customs and Border Protection that uses UAVs to patrol the northern border - to the community. Senator Dorgan is also pushing the Air Force to base the next generation of air refueling tankers at Grand Forks.
Minot Air Force Base is the only dual-mission nuclear air base in the United States. Its top-notch personnel operate a fleet of B-52 bombers as well as Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. Senator Dorgan has worked through his seat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to protect the B-52 from budget-driven cuts. His efforts to convince the Air Force that it would be wise to retain its B-52s, the most cost-effective bombers in the U.S. fleet, have been rewarded by the Air Force's recent decision to establish another squadron of B-52s at Minot Air Force Base.
