07.21.21

Hoeven: Army Awards Contract for Construction of 119th Wing's New Operations Center in Fargo

Senator Secured Funding to Build New Facility, Prevent Interruption in Mission

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of the Army has awarded a more than $13 million contract to Gast Construction Company, Inc. in Fargo to build the new Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operations center for the North Dakota Air National Guard’s 119th Wing. As a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee, Hoeven secured $17.5 million for the construction of the new facility, which is needed to support new advanced technology and equipment that is critical to the mission’s long-term success, while also preventing interruptions for the wing’s operations. The Air Guard anticipates moving into the new facility in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.

“The 119th Wing has a global mission, and they’re in the fight every day,” said Hoeven. “With the $17.5 million in funding we secured, we can now build a new operations center and they can move into it without any interruption in delivering their important mission.”

Hoeven also recently hosted Director of the Air National Guard Lieutenant General Michael Loh in North Dakota to review the 119th Wing’s mission, discuss plans for the new operations center and outline the senator’s efforts to ensure the MQ-9 Reaper’s continued role in current and future Air Force operations. To this end, Hoeven included $108 million for the purchase of additional MQ-9 aircraft in the FY2021 funding legislation to help maintain the production line and support the Reaper mission over the long-term.

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