{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=a1c006f1-1b8b-40cf-acb4-122c91ce8fa9", "In Meeting with Commander of Grand Forks Air Force Base, Heitkamp Stresses Potential of Arctic Missions", "2015-10-21", "2015", "2015-10", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp highlighted the suitability of Grand Forks Air Force Base for future Arctic missions in a meeting today with Colonel Rodney Lewis, the 319th Air Base Wing Commander and the senior officer at the base.\r\nAs a northern tier base, Grand Forks Air Force Base should play a key role in the Arctic missions that will be increasingly critical for our military. In our meeting today, Colonel Lewis and I discussed how we can underscore Grand Forks value for those missions  and how we can make the base even more well-equipped for Arctic missions down the road, said Heitkamp. Grand Forks Air Force Base is a shining example of the kind of innovative partnerships that are the militarys future, and the base already hosts high-performing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and communications capabilities needed for challenging Arctic environments. To help bolster the Arctic missions at Grand Forks Air Force Base, Congress passed a bipartisan bill to authorize defense programs which includes my amendment focused on the importance of these partnerships and capabilities. Now, Colonel Lewis and I are working together to make Grand Forks even more attractive for these missions as the U.S. military focuses on emerging threats and opportunities in the Arctic.\r\nCo-founder of the bipartisan Senate Defense Communities Caucus, Heitkamp voted this month with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets policy and authorizes funding levels for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). The bill also passed in the House.\r\nSpecifically, the National Defense Authorization Act includes an amendment Heitkamp introduced to improve the militarys Arctic strategy. The legislation requires DOD to develop a strategy to protect national security interests in the Arctic region. Heitkamps amendment would strengthen this strategy, and better positions Grand Forks Air Force Base to play a significant role in future Arctic missions. Her amendment requires that DODs Arctic strategy focus on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), as well as inter-service, interagency, and international partnerships  requirements that facilities at Grand Forks Air Force Base are well-suited to meet.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=a1c006f1-1b8b-40cf-acb4-122c91ce8fa9"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9232810698449612, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}