Senator Highlights Importance of Keeping Infrastructure Upgrades on Schedule at Minot Air Force Base

Senator Highlights Importance of Keeping Infrastructure Upgrades on Schedule at Minot Air Force Base

WASHINGTON – RealEstateRama – At a Senate Appropriations Committee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs hearing reviewing the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for military construction, Senator John Hoeven worked to accelerate construction of infrastructure tied to the Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) program, including the need to acquire land for new silo locations around Minot Air Force Base (MAFB). Hoeven outlined the importance of the land acquisition with Lieutenant General Kenyon Bell, who oversees logistics for the Air Force.

During the hearing, Hoeven highlighted the President’s budget request for $232 million for the first two major Sentinel-related projects at Minot Air Force Base, the only dual nuclear base in the nation, including a new security forces complex and a vehicle maintenance complex supporting the base’s ICBM mission.

“What can we do to accelerate plans for land acquisition, for new missile silo construction as part of making sure that we do everything we can to not only keep the Sentinel program on track as far as the upgrade, but also do it as cost effectively as possible,” said Hoeven.

“Minot Air Force Base is critical to what we do … as the Sentinel program moves forward with the restructuring that they’ve been doing… they are committed to reviewing the efforts to move things left as much as possible, as they do the land acquisition. So, we will work with you and this committee so that as much as can be accelerated does get accelerated,” said Lt. Gen. Bell.

Hoeven continues working to advance the progress of Sentinel at Minot, the senator recently met with Gen. Dale White, who oversees the Sentinel program for the Department of War, to discuss ways to accelerate the development of Sentinel. White recently visited MAFB at the Senator’s invitation to see firsthand the existing missions and further review the ICBM program.

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