20 June 2002. Thanks to M, see related nuclear missile field:
NORTH DAKOTA
Rank: No. 5
Nuclear Warheads: 1140
Grand Forks
AIR FORCE BASE
NORTH DAKOTA ranks 5th in number of nuclear warheads deployed, a decline
from 4th place in 1992 (when 1,650 warheads were deployed), and 3d in 1985.
There are two nuclear bases in the state,
Minot AFB and Grand Forks
AFB. Minot hosts a B-52H Bomb Wing and a Minuteman III ICBM wing. Grand Forks
hosts a missile wing but is in the process of transferring 150 Minuteman
missiles to Malmstrom. Though there will be no bombers or missiles there
shortly a weapons storage area will be maintained and hold nuclear contingency
weapons.
Grand Forks was originally conceived as an air defense base and the site
was chosen in 1954. By 1956 plans had changed with the base to serve as a
Strategic Air Command bomber and tanker base as well. Between 1960 and 1962
a variety of air-refueling, fighter-interceptor, and B-52 bombers (319th
Bombardment Wing) arrived at Grand Forks. In December 1966 the 321st Strategic
Missile Wing became operational with Minuteman II ICBMs, upgraded to Minuteman
IIIs by March 1973. The 319th BW sent its B-52s to other units and received
B-1B bombers in 1987.
With reductions mandated by the START agreements, however, the make up at
Grand Forks began to change after the Cold War. The last B-1Bs departed in
1994 and the Minuteman III missiles of the 321st Missile Group started being
transferred to Malmstrom in a consolidation of four Minuteman III bases to
three. The first missile was removed October 4, 1995. All fifty missiles
from the 446th Squadron were removed by November 1996. The next fifty from
the 448th Squadron were completed in October 1997. The final fifty from the
447th Squadron was originally scheduled for completion in September 1998,
but is now estimated to be June 1998. The 321st Missile Group is scheduled
to inactivate in September 1998. Actually of the 150 MM IIIs removed from
Grand Forks, 120 will go to Malmstrom and 30 to Hill AFB, UT as spares.
Forty nine people will stay at Grand Forks after Group inactivation through
at least the end of 1998 as transition team members required to finish up
duties such as disposal of equipment, hand over of the WSA, and historical
documentation. Grand Forks will have neither bombers nor missiles but will
retain, much like Fairchild AFB, a weapons storage area for the storage of
reserve nuclear weapons.
The remaining 319th Air Refueling Wing at Grand Forks has an odd status,
fully nuclear certified and operating a Weapons Storage Area (WSA) even though
bombers have left the base. The 319th ARW and the subordinate 319th Security
Police Squadron at Grand Forks AFB received excellent Appendix C U.S. Nuclear
Weapons, Location Profiles, and outstanding ratings in their 1994 NSI. The
Wing was awarded the nuclear surety plaque in 1994 “for distinguished
performance.” It also received a 1996 USAF Nuclear Surety Plaque.
The Weapon Storage Area at Grand Forks is presumably being used to store
the bomber weapons that are part of the “hedge” and/or reserve
stockpile. The START II Treaty requires that, “Each Party shall locate
storage areas for heavy bomber nuclear armaments no less than 100 kilometers
from any air base where heavy bombers reoriented to a conventional role are
based.” (Article IV, Section 10) Since the Treaty permits bombers reoriented
to a conventional role to be returned to a nuclear role, the weapons at Grand
Forks, Fairchild, and in storage depots seems to be for such a future
contingency.
