Sen. Kent Conrad (R-N.D.) says Air Force leaders have Minot AFB, N.D., “in their long-term plans,” reports The Minot Daily News. Conrad, who spoke at a press conference last week after touring the base, has been key in the Senate ICBM Coalition’s push to restrain the Air Force from removing 50 ICBMs from service unless USAF needs the missiles for test flights. He said in a statement that the coalition has “several military objectives that will only help to secure the future of Minot Air Force Base as a thriving partner in the Minot region’s economy.”
The Air Force overall reduced its size by 120 aircraft in fiscal year 2021, but kept about the same number of fighter, bomber and attack aircraft, according to data supplied by the service. The F-35 fleet saw the biggest increase while the B-1B bomber fleet saw the largest decline.