Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force and a three-time Wash100 winner, has approved the service branch's plan to build and renovate facilities at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota to prepare the military installation for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it will start the infrastructure planning activity next year and expects the construction and renovation efforts to commence in 2023.
USAF plans to expand the 319th Reconnaissance Wing Command's operational units that will support the E-11 Battlefield Airborne Control Node aircraft mission at Robins AFB in Georgia.
The Department of the Air Force is looking to divest assets such as its Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System and RQ-4 Block 30 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft.
The proposed divestment will allow the department to free up funds for addressing threats from near-peer competitors.
