Minot AFB to receive $850 million for nuclear weapons upgrades

Minot Air Force Base is in line for a nuclear-sized upgrade as the Department of Defense plans to update its nuclear deterrence capability across the country.

During the Task Force 21 North Dakota Nuclear Triad Symposium in Minot on Tuesday, members of the military, nuclear weapons experts and state lawmakers talked about the importance of upgrading an aging nuclear arsenal and its delivery methods, as China and other adversaries have increased their own defense budgets in recent years.

Over the next 12 years, the DOD plans to upgrade each leg of the nuclear triad that consists of intercontinental ballistic missiles, bomber aircraft and nuclear ballistic missile submarines.

The military’s Minuteman III nuclear ICBMs, which have been in service since the late 1970s, will be replaced with the Sentinel missile system.

Col. Tytonia Moore, deputy director of ICBM modernization, said the Air Force will replace 400 Minuteman III missiles nationwide. Of those, 150 missiles are in North Dakota, which will lead to an estimated $850 million in funding to upgrade Minot Air Force Base facilities.