Vice President Mike Pence spoke to airmen and women at Minot Air Force Base this afternoon.
Pence says he came to express his and President Trump's gratitude for their service to their country.
"The legendary 5th bomb wing dates back nearly a century. For 35 years, it operated under continuous alert status - it's remarkable to think about. Standing at the ready to fly anywhere in the world, at any time, to protect our people and defend our freedom. Today, the members of the 5th bomb wing are continually deployed across the globe in combat and support operations supporting our efforts in the global war on terror. Make no mistake about it - America is safer today because you are the guardians of the upper realm."
Minot has one of two of the United States' B-52 bomber bases, and also oversees just over 33 percent of the Air Force's Minuteman 3 nuclear missiles. Pence says a major component of worldwide peace is maintaining the country's nuclear arsenal, and shoring up the resources of its armed forces.
"As we speak, the world arguably is a more dangerous place than at any point since the fall of communism more than a quarter century ago. That's why in the first nine months of this administration, President Trump has taken decisive action to make the strongest military in the world stronger still. The threats we face today mean that once again, America's security and very future depend on the airmen of Minot being ready and being prepared."
Pence says it is his honor to serve under President Trump, who he says cares deeply about America's armed forces. Trump has already signed the largest increase in defense spending in almost ten years, and Pence says the administration is now working to pass the largest investment in national defense since the Reagan area.
