Hoeven secures $11.6 million to establish Grand Sky, GFAFB fire station

(KNOX) – Senator John Hoeven today announced that he has secured an $11.6 million grant to establish a fire station serving Grand Sky and the Grand Forks Air Force Base. As a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, Hoeven worked to advance the award under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), which the senator has supported through annual appropriations legislation. Hoeven also made the case for the project to Department of Defense (DoD) officials, including General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander of the Air Combat Command, who the senator hosted in Grand Forks earlier this year. In particular, the senator stressed to DoD officials:

• The need to reduce the current 20-minute response time for local fire services to reach the base, particularly operations in the southern portion of the base.
• The importance of providing adequate emergency services for:
  • The critical space and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities housed in Grand Forks, which support DoD missions around the globe.
  • The more than $4 billion in DoD assets at Grand Sky, including the Test Resource Management Center’s (TRMC) Range Hawk Program.
  • General Atomics’ MQ-9 training services for NATO partners operating that aircraft.

“This nearly $12 million grant to establish fire protection facilities at Grand Sky and the Grand Forks Air Force Base supports our ongoing work to expand the existing Air Force, DoD and Space Development Agency operations in this region, as well as secure future missions and partnerships for the base, the tech park, private industry and institutions like the University of North Dakota,” said Hoeven. “By building a fire station that is dedicated to serving the base as well as Grand Sky, we are providing greater certainty for these critical missions. At the same time, we are helping position Grand Forks to continue growing as a key player in missions around the globe, supporting operations from the ground all the way up into space.”

          This comes as the latest in Hoeven’s efforts to strengthen existing missions at, and bring new operations to, Grand Forks Air Force Base and the adjacent technology and business park, Grand Sky. The fire protection station will serve as a vital asset helping ensure the security of current missions, while ensuring the base has the resources needed to support the growth of future operations. Among other priorities, Hoeven is working to:

• Secure future ISR missions for Grand Forks Air Force Base.
• Forge further partnerships between the Air Force and institutions like the University of North Dakota and Grand Sky to:
  • Strengthen U.S. counter-unmanned aerial systems (c-UAS) capabilities.
  • Demonstrate and validate UAS applications for the military through Project ULTRA.
  • Maximize the value of Grand Sky’s Enhanced Use Lease with the base.
• Expanding the Space Development Agency (SDA) satellite mission with Advanced Fire Control (AFC) operations at the base.