Wednesday, October 4, 2006
CONTACT: Barry E. Piatt
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
CONGRESS APPROVES LEGISLATION THAT PRESERVES NATION’S B-52 FLEET
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) --- Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad and Congressman Earl Pomeroy announced Wednesday that Congress has approved legislation that preserves a robust fleet of B-52 bombers, including Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Bomb Wing.
The Pentagon had sought Congressional approval to cut the B-52 fleet from 94 aircraft to only 56 over the next two years.
While the Defense Authorization bill allows the Air Force to retire 17 B-52s that have been held in “attrition reserve” at Minot Air Force Base and one B-52 that has been used by NASA, none of the aircraft can be retired until 45 days after the Pentagon delivers a report to Congress detailing its ability to meet the need for bombers while fighting two conflicts simultaneously. The delegation said it expects the report to show that retiring these B-52s would cause a “bomber gap.”
"We are confident that the study will show that retiring a significant portion of the current fleet when a new bomber is not even on the drawing board assumes too great a risk to our nation's defense," the delegation said in a joint statement.
The legislation further prevents the B-52 force from dropping below 76 until 2018 or the Air Force fields a new bomber.
In a recent meeting with the North Dakota delegation, Air Force leaders said they are committed to keeping a fleet of bombers at Minot Air Force Base. The Defense Authorization bill ensures that the B-52s will be kept in action for more than a decade at least, the delegation said.
“This legislation will ensure that Minot Air Force Base is home to a fleet of B-52s for years to come,” the delegation said. “Air Force leaders have told us they are committed to retaining B-52s and ICBMs at Minot, and we are confident that the base will continue to play a strong role in defending our nation.”
Later this fall, Congress is expected to pass a military construction bill that will provide nearly $195 million for new family housing at Minot Air Force Base, as well as $9 million for a new control tower.
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