Jill Schramm/MDN Sen. John Hoeven, right, speaks at a Task Force 21 roundtable at the Minot Area Chamber EDC office Wednesday. Clockwise, from left, are Mayor Tom Ross and Task Force 21 members Jason Zimmerman, Pete Hankla and Mark Jantzer.

Inflation is impacting plans to modernize U.S. nuclear forces, but the proposed missile system upgrade at Minot Air Force Base is moving ahead with $4.5 billion in a 2024 defense appropriations bill, Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, said Wednesday.

Hoeven held a roundtable in Minot to kick off a statewide tour to outline the recently passed appropriations bill.

The bill increases defense spending by 3% and includes a 5.2% pay raise for military members. It also advances modernization of the nuclear triad, including the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system and B-52 aircraft missions at Minot Air Force Base. Hoeven spoke on the local impact of the bill with members of Task Force 21, the Minot Area Chamber EDC’s education committee for national security.

The bill includes $4.3 billion for ongoing research and development and early procurement of key components of the new ICBM system, known as Sentinel. It includes $200 million to address the impact of inflation on construction costs associated with the project.

“There’s a huge construction element to all of this,” Hoeven said. “With inflation, the cost to build all of these facilities has gone up.”

Because the program is more than 15% over budget due to inflation, a review is being conducted to look at those costs.

“We actually now are funding forward on some things that will help us address that cost,” Hoeven said. “So the $4.3 billion is for the continued development of the Sentinel missile system, which is on track and performing as it should – going well – and then $200 million to actually update our ability to address some of the costs that go with all the construction involved. So again, that goes to the whole military industrial base and the things we need to do so that we can get ahead of any inflation costs.”

To put the construction in perspective, Hoeven said, it amounts to converting one missile silo to the new missile system per week for nine years across Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota.

“So we’ve got to start putting the things in place that are going to enable us to do that and to manage the cost,” he said.

He noted the military will need to build $800 million in facilities as part of the Minot AFB portion of the upgrade, including operation centers, maintenance facilities and training facilities.

“These are the kinds of things that are coming, and in addition to funding the things we are funding now, we have to be prepared so that we can construct all these other things and do it on budget and within the timeframes that we’re shooting for,” he said.

In addition to the Sentinel, the appropriations bill includes $1 billion in warhead funding.

The bill includes $223 million for the Grey Wolf helicopters that will replace the aging Hueys.

“Four would come here in 2026,” Hoeven said of Minot AFB. “We can’t, of course, get the helicopters until we complete the new hangar. That’s about $140 million, which we secured through the MILCON (Military, Construction and Veterans Affairs) committee.”

Other funding includes $969 million for engineering on the new Long Range Standoff Weapon that will be carried on the B-52 and $1 billion for ongoing updates to the B-52, of which $600 million goes to new engines. Congress approved $400 million for aircraft repair and maintenance, which Hoeven said essentially ensures the industrial base is in place to sustain and support the B-52 to 2050 and potentially beyond.

The bill provides $100 million for new military technologies being developed in North Dakota, full funding for the Space Development Agency and Test Resource Management Center activities in Grand Forks and $15 million to begin standing up a MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft training center for the Army National Guard, potentially in Grand Forks.

Although the bill reflects an increase in defense spending, Hoeven’s office provided information stating 2024 appropriations bills passed this month together reduced nondefense spending by $16 billion.