05.17.12

Hoeven Announces Minot Air Force Base Military Construction Project

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction has approved a $4.6 million project to modify and expand the Munitions Aero-space Ground Equipment (AGE) Facility at the Minot Air Force Base.

Hoeven said the facility houses maintenance operations for the trailers Minot’s B-52 squadrons use to transport Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs). The current facility is undersized, and demands for trailer maintenance will grow with the stand-up of the new B-52 squadron.

The project approved by the committee this week will enlarge the facility and make a number of enhancements, including overhead crane hoists and hook-ups for generators required to run specialized maintenance equipment. The project also includes conditioned air to allow for year-round maintenance operations.

“Military construction funds are extremely limited this year, and much of the Air Force’s construction plan has been pushed back due to fiscal constraints,” Hoeven said. “I am very pleased that the committee is able to provide funds for this project at Minot Air Force Base. It will allow for smoother maintenance of equipment critical to B-52 operations and enable our airmen to continue to perform their mission at a very high level.”