It belongs in the Ellsworth Air Force Base history books. In anticipation of the arrival of the B-21 Bomber, Ellsworth Air Force Base has temporarily relocated 17 B-1B Lancers, supplies, equipment and close to 800 airmen to another state this year while the military rebuilds the base’s runway for the new bomber.
The relocation is noteworthy not only because it was a “monstrous” undertaking, said Samantha Hough, flight chief for the 28th Contracting Squadron at Ellsworth, but also because it was accomplished in record time. “This showed us we can think outside the box and get creative to solve problems,” Samantha said. “This was an incredible accomplishment and the level of effort from everyone, especially our maintenance team is amazing. Not a single plane was left and that’s a testament to our airmen and what they can accomplish.”
But first, it took a lot of planning, paperwork and cutting through red tape. The project kicked off in January of 2024. While the coordination proved complicated, the mission was simple — relocate the B-1 fleet and airmen to Grand Forks Air Force Base in northeastern North Dakota. And do it all before February 1 — when demolition of the runway was scheduled to begin. “We had to get the planes and the people out by then,” said Samantha.
The Hurdles
There were a lot of moving parts, she recalled, including physically transferring the planes, personnel and equipment, securing multiple contracts and ensuring the airmen serving two to three months rotations had quality lodging in North Dakota. “This project was a learning curve from the beginning,” she added.
There were multiple hurdles — the environmental assessment is just one example. Before any government funding is approved for a change in location of a major aircraft, an environmental assessment is required. It can take a whole year, Samantha said. They completed it in 12 weeks. Another hurdle? Lodging. Securing contracts for a move that large can take 12-18 months. Through vetted contractors, Ellsworth contracted 95 apartments and 225 double-occupancy hotel rooms for airmen. The hotels were secured in five months. The apartments, three.
The lodging piece played a major role in the overall project, Samantha said. “It’s hard that our airmen are going to be away from their families, and for the single airmen, away from their friends,” she said. “We really tried to make this a home-away-from-home for them.”
It’s why they paid great attention to details. “The two-bedroom to four-bedroom apartments are fully furnished,” she said, “down to the hangers and silverware.”
Samantha is quick to point out that she was one piece of a hard-working team. “The maintenance team, the operations team, everyone filled in the gaps,” she said.
Ellsworth airmen will continue to complete rotations to Grand Forks for several more months.
The goal is to have the runway complete and operational near the end of 2025.
Why it Matters
The B-21 Raider is not set to be operational at Ellsworth until “mid to late 2020s.” Samantha reflected on her mission during the last year and remembers working feverishly during her Christmas break while her kids reminded her of their planned trip to Watiki Water Park.
“My 13-year-old daughter was asking why I’m working,” she said. “I explained to her if we don’t get this contract, people won’t have a place to sleep. She was sitting there with me when I awarded the contract and it was so good that she was able to see that my work matters.”
Then, they headed to the water park to celebrate. There was another favorite moment – a trip Samantha took with colleagues to the Grand Forks Air Force Base, one last check to make sure the lodging was set for the airmen. “It was incredible to watch the chaos of the apartment keys and the hotel keys handed out, and to walk through the apartments to see they really are furnished,” she said. “I got to see the power of American ingenuity and problem-solving.”
Words: Kayla Gahagan
U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Anthony Nunez-Pellicer