Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Secretary Mattis Travels to Minot, ND, Omaha, NE, and Mexico City, Mexico



Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will embark on a three stop tour starting Wednesday, Sep. 13.  His visit to two nuclear-focused locations comes at an opportune time given the ongoing Nuclear Posture and Ballistic Missile Defense Reviews.  This will be the secretary's first trip to these locations during his tenure.

Secretary Mattis will begin his tour in Minot, ND.  Minot Air Force Base is the only U.S. base to host two legs of the nuclear triad - strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.  He will tour a Missile Alert Facility (MAF) used to control ICBMs; and the Weapons Storage Area (WSA) where Airmen maintain U.S. ICBM warheads.

On Thursday, Sept. 14, the secretary will travel to Omaha, NE, to meet with U.S. Strategic Command leadership and discuss strategic deterrence in the 21st century.  USSTRATCOM employs tailored nuclear, space, cyberspace, global strike, missile defense and other capabilities for deterrence and assurance.  This culminates the secretary's tour of the nuclear enterprise, having visited all three legs of the nuclear triad.

The secretary concludes his trip on Friday, Sep. 15 as the first Secretary of Defense to participate in the Mexican Independence Day activities.  This will be the fifth ever visit by a U.S. Secretary of Defense to Mexico.  Secretary Mattis' visit to Mexico reaffirms our commitment to the bilateral defense relationship and to the North America Community.

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