Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) met with Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff, on Sept. 23 to discuss the way ahead for USAF and Air National Guard forces in North Dakota. In a statement, Conrad called the conversation “frank and positive.” He said Schwartz knows that both Grand Forks and Minot Air Force Bases have “tremendous community support” and believes that Schwartz understands “the valuable role each [base] will continue to play in securing our nation.”
As Space Force leaders grow more vocal and direct in calling for space weapons to control the domain, one official revealed last week that the Space Force has received a major upgrade to one of its few acknowledged space weapons.