Cramer, Under Secretary Michael Duffey Tour Strategic Missions in Grand Forks and Minot

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GRAND FORKS, N.D. - North Dakota's emerging role in strengthening America's domestic rare earth supply chain and supporting national defense efforts is center stage during a two-day visit this week to Grand Forks and Minot by U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. Duffey serves as the Pentagon's top official overseeing acquisition, logistics and materiel readiness, the defense industrial base, and nuclear deterrence. His portfolio closely aligns with the strategic missions underway across North Dakota, particularly efforts to secure reliable domestic sources of critical minerals and rare earth elements essential to modern defense systems.

Cramer and Duffey toured research and military facilities across the state, including a stop at the University of North Dakota (UND) College of Engineering & Mines. Throughout the visit, discussions are heavily focused on North Dakota's growing role in rare earth development and supply chain resilience, while also highlighting the state's contributions to military innovation and national defense modernization.

"Nobody doubts North Dakota's important role in reconnaissance from space, bombing from B-52s, deterring with nuclear missiles, or airborne ISR from RQ-4s and MQ-9s," said Cramer. "But what people may not know is the critical role North Dakota has the potential to play in becoming less dependent on China for rare earth elements. Thanks to North Dakota's energy industry and the University of North Dakota, we may be unlocking a treasure trove of domestic rare earth element supplies so we can strategically decouple from China."

The visit began in Grand Forks on Tuesday, where Cramer and Duffey traveled to UND, meeting with university leadership and touring the College of Engineering & Mines' rare earth pilot plant, which is pioneering efforts to extract critical rare earth elements from North Dakota lignite coal. The facility has successfully demonstrated the technology at a commercially relevant scale, producing sufficient quantities needed to validate real-world application. Discussions centered on commercialization opportunities, strengthening America's domestic rare earth supply chain, and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign sources for the critical materials used in advanced defense technologies, energy systems, and manufacturing.

At the open press tour portion, Duffey said, "Senator Cramer has been ahead of the curve here. I'm very eager to understand [how] we're getting back to a place where we can be self-sufficient with mining and processing, and the entire value chain."

Cramer and Duffey also toured Space Development Agency operations and received a briefing on the Air Combat Command's Point Defense Battle Lab, operated by the 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base. The lab cements Grand Forks' role at the forefront of next-generation force protection and advanced defense capabilities, marking a major win following years of Cramer's advocacy to expand the base's mission.

On Wednesday, Cramer and Duffey will travel to Minot Air Force Base, where they will receive updates on key modernization and defense initiatives, including implementation of the Sentinel modernization program. Home to both the 91st Missile Wing and the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base remains a critical component of America's strategic deterrence and broader national defense posture.