Minot continues to prepare for the upcoming modernization of the “nuclear triad.”
The project is called “Sentinel.”
"It's going to be the largest construction project, I think, in the history of North Dakota," said Minot Mayor Tom Ross. "So, we've got to be ready. We can't wait until the year before to get ready."
Ross said the city has a task force working on how the project could impact Minot. Ross said this has also given Minot the opportunity to bring Legislators to the area, to show them that the Minot Air Force Base is more than the $600 million annual impact for Minot.
"By bringing legislators up to Minot, showing them and getting them hands-on with a B-52, or putting them into a missile alert facility, we show them exactly the power that is coming from this are of North Dakota, and the implications world-wide," Ross said. "We're creating champions down in Bismarck. The more champions we have in Bismarck, the more support we're going to have for the future of the Minot Air Force Base, the future of North Dakota and the future for the country."
Governor Kelly Armstrong said as a member of Congress, he worked on the Sentinel project, and he will continue to do so as Governor. He said one concern he has is the maintenance of the existing fleet as it is being phased out.
"As you begin pashing out the Minuteman missiles, and converting to Sentinel, how we take acre of those things in -30 weather is hugely important," Armstrong said. "This is one place I think we are ahead of the game, just because I've dealt with it so much at the federal level.
Armstrong said he supports anything that would advocate for the airmen at the base.
"What I'm most concerned about is making sure we have the adequate resources to service those missiles as we transition over," Armstrong said.
The Minot Air Force Base is the only base with two legs of the triad – missiles and bombers.