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Air Force vice chief, North Dakota's senators visit Grand Forks Air Force Base

Feb. 17—GRAND FORKS — North Dakota's senators joined the Air Force's second-highest-ranking officer for a tour of Grand Forks Air Force Base this weekend. U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer visited the air base alongside Air Force Vice Chief of Staff James Slife. Slife visited Grand Forks as well as Minot Air Force Base and the 119th Wing of the Air National Guard during what Cramer's office called a "Valentines Day Weekend tour" of North Dakota's air bases. News media were not invited to visit the base during the general's visit. Both senators released press statements Monday following the weekend visit. "I never tire of visiting the airmen of the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base. It was a special treat to show the base and its people off to Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General Jim Slife," Cramer wrote on Facebook and X. "It provided us a lot of time to discuss the very bright future of North Dakota's Air Force Bases as we imagined new ways to position GFAFB, Minot Air Force Base ... and the 119th Wing North Dakota Air National Guard to meet the growing demands of modern warfare." Hoeven's office issued a Grand Forks-specific release highlighting the senator's focus on several area civilian drone projects, including Project ULTRA and the Northern Plains UAS Test Site's access to restricted Federal Aviation Administration radar data. "Having General Slife here in North Dakota presents a great opportunity to make the case for utilizing our state's expertise in UAS," read a statement attributed to Hoeven. "With Project ULTRA receiving a contract increase in the coming weeks and the unfiltered FAA radar data feed nearly ready to go, we have the pieces in place to meet these critical military needs." Slife, a four-star general who has served as vice chief since December 2023, is second in rank only to Gen. David Alvin. His visit also coincided with the temporary beddown of a squadron of 17 B-1B Lancer bombers from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.