800 Airmen and 17 B-1B Bombers Relocate to North Dakota for Ellsworth Runway Upgrade

Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota is moving 800 soldiers and 17 B-1B Lancer bombers to Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota this month for a 10-month stay. The move comes as Ellsworth gets ready to improve its runway so that it can fit the long-awaited B-21 Raider stealth bomber.

The move, which is 500 miles to the northeast, comes after a lot of legal and environmental checks to make sure it meets military and environmental standards. The changes made to Ellsworth are very important because the base is getting ready to be the main home for the cutting-edge B-21 Raider in the coming years.

During their short stay in Grand Forks, the B-1B Lancer force and its crews will continue to train and get ready for operations. The move is part of the Air Force's plan to update its infrastructure to support the next wave of defense technology.

Building the runway is part of a larger plan to get Ellsworth ready for the B-21 Raider, which will likely change the way long-range strikes are done in the future. The new plane, which is made to be precise and last a long time, will make Ellsworth's mission description much better.

The short-term move shows that the Air Force is dedicated to achieving its modernization goals while also keeping readiness and operational excellence. This move is a big change for the 800 airmen and their families, but it also shows how important they are to starting a new age of air power.

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