Submitted Photo U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer announced Monday, March 30, a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile will be displayed in the new Military Gallery under construction at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck.

GRAND FORKS – The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck will soon be displaying a powerful tribute to the state’s enduring role in America’s nuclear deterrence.

U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, announced Monday, March 30, he has secured a decommissioned Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which will be a prominent addition to the museum’s new Military Gallery, now under construction and scheduled for completion in late 2027, according to a news release Cramer’s office.

The Minuteman III, one of the most recognizable symbols of the nation’s strategic nuclear arsenal, strengthens the museum’s mission to tell the story of North Dakota’s contributions to national defense through immersive exhibits, artifacts and interactive displays.

As the first North Dakotan to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Cramer worked with the U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman to secure the missile for public display, offering visitors a rare, up-close look at a cornerstone of America’s defense infrastructure.

First deployed in the 1960s, the Minuteman III has undergone nearly six decades of continuous service and modernization. About 400 Minuteman III missiles remain operational across three U.S. bases, including Minot Air Force Base. As chair of the SASC Airland Subcommittee and co-chair of the Senate Defense Modernization Caucus, Cramer has championed Minuteman III’s next generation replacement, the LGM-35A Sentinel, visiting Hill Air Force Base in Utah which supports the Minuteman program and is the proving ground for Sentinel. The Sentinel program is slated to begin replacing the Minuteman III fleet in 2030, modernizing the nation’s land-based nuclear deterrent.

“The Minuteman III is now over 50 years old,” Cramer said. “It demonstrates the might of this country like no other weapon before. It’s not just a weapon. It’s an attitude and that’s why the North Dakota Military Gallery is so important. It’s been an honor to be part of the project.”

“Recognizing and remembering those who have served our nation are among the most important and solemn roles of the State Historical Society of North Dakota,” said Bill Peterson, State Historical Society director.

North Dakota has long played a central role in the nation’s nuclear enterprise. During the Cold War, the state was home to one of the largest concentrations of nuclear weapons in the world. Today, Minot AFB remains the only installation in the United States to support two legs of the nuclear triad, with the 91st Missile Wing overseeing one-third of the nation’s Minuteman III ICBMs alongside the 5th Bomb Wing’s B-52 Stratofortress bombers.

Grand Forks AFB also served as a cornerstone of national security throughout the Cold War. Home to the 321st Strategic Missile Wing, the base oversaw a vast network of 150 Minuteman missile silos and 15 launch control centers strategically positioned across the region.