06.17.21

Hoeven Working to Keep Critical Infrastructure Projects for Minot Air Force Base on Schedule

Senator Pressing Air Force Officials to Move Forward on Helicopter & Weapons Storage Facilities in Minot

WASHINGTON – At a hearing of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Committee this week, Senator John Hoeven pressed Lt. Gen. Warren Barry, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection (Air Force), to keep critical infrastructure projects for the Minot Air Force Base (MAFB) on schedule, including:

  • Helicopter Facility – The existing facilities are aging and will not accommodate the MH-139 Grey Wolf helicopters that will replace the Hueys currently deployed in Minot. 
    • Accordingly, Hoeven secured more than $71 million across fiscal years (FY) 2019 and 2020 for a new helicopter facility at MAFB.
    • Hoeven also provided $194 million in FY2021 to purchase the first eight Grey Wolf helicopters and is pressing Air Force officials to secure the aircraft’s FAA certification to keep the program on schedule.
  • Weapons Generation Facility – The Air Force is currently undertaking a broad effort to construct new, secure and modernized facilities to store and maintain the nation’s nuclear weapons.
    • The senator stressed the critical role of MAFB as the nation’s only dual nuclear mission, as well as the high deployment rate of the 5th Bomb Wing for operations in the Korean peninsula and the Middle East.

“As the only dual nuclear base in the country, Minot is essential to the defense of our nation, and we’re working to ensure these servicemembers have the infrastructure and equipment they need to be successful in their missions,” said Hoeven. “Both the existing helicopter facility and the weapons storage facility are outdated and will not meet the base’s future needs. That’s why we’re pressing the Air Force leadership to keep moving these projects forward, so the facilities can be built on schedule, ready to support the new Grey Wolf helicopters that will provide security for the missile fields and meet the fast-paced demands placed on Minot’s B-52s.”

-###-