Pence to visit ICBM base

Vice President Pence is set to visit North Dakota on Friday, where he’ll tour Minot Air Force Base, the facility responsible for overseeing one of three intercontinental ballistic missile units in the U.S.

Pence will be accompanied by Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, the White House said Thursday.

During the trip, the vice president is expected to receive a briefing on the base’s operations. The facility is the only one in the U.S. that contains both nuclear missile silos and planes that drop nuclear bombs.

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After the briefing, Pence will deliver remarks to airmen at the base, the White House said.

Wilson and Defense Secretary James Mattis paid a visit to the facility last month.

Minot Air Force Base was cited in a 2014 review of the United States’ nuclear weapons programs for its poorly maintained infrastructure, low morale among personnel and a high turnover rate.

The Pentagon is currently reviewing the country’s nuclear weapons program, and President Trump has vowed to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.