Burgum, Dohrmann thank ND National Guard soldiers for supporting security efforts at southwest border
Gov. Doug Burgum and Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard, visited soldiers from the Jamestown-based 817th Engineer Company at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, thanking them for supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) efforts to secure the border.
The 817th deployed to the southwest border on federal status in early November for what’s expected to be a yearlong mission. Burgum, who serves as commander-in-chief of the North Dakota National Guard, received briefings from Guard officials and visited with members of the Jamestown-based unit about their mission in support of CBP border security operations.
The 817th’s mission, under the direction of U.S. Northern Command and Joint Task Force North, is to assist CBP by providing detection and monitoring support. Approximately 125 service members are providing mission enhancing support to CBP’s border security operations to enable CBP agents to conduct their law enforcement mission more efficiently.
“The well-trained soldiers from the 817th Engineer Company are making a real difference in efforts to enhance national security at the southwest border. And what we learned today is that they have not only taken on this mission, they’ve excelled at it, setting the bar high for future missions,” Burgum said. “These soldiers are detecting tens of thousands of attempted illegal crossings, and in the process they’re helping to protect our country, state and communities and save lives from illegal activity including drug and human trafficking. On behalf of the citizens of North Dakota and a grateful nation, we thank them for their incredible service and wish them a safe and successful mission.”
“The professionalism of our North Dakota National Guard soldiers serving at the southwest border is second to none,” Dohrmann said. “Today we heard from task force leadership that the 817th Engineer Company is a model for how to support Customs and Border Protection, and I’m incredibly proud of their efforts to strengthen our national security.”
Last June, the Secretary of Defense approved a request for assistance from the Department of Homeland Security extending Department of Defense (DOD) assistance in support of CBP’s southern border security mission through fiscal year 2024. The action memo authorizes the mobilization of up to 2,500 service members, including National Guardsmen in a Title 10 duty status, to provide command and control and enablers, for mobile surveillance support; remote video detection and camera monitoring support; information analysis support; and 13,200 flight hours for light rotary-wing aircraft and small uncrewed aerial system (UAS) support.
Burgum receives 102nd annual Boy Scouts' Report to the State
On Wednesday, Gov. Burgum received the 102nd annual Boy Scouts of America's Report to the State in Bismarck.
The Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America have nearly 5,000 young men and women registered in programs across 214 units.
The purpose of the Northern Lights Council is to help shape and mold the development of our community’s youth. Its goal is to promote and administer Scouting to all young men and women throughout the council and to develop these young people through programs that stress citizenship training, character development and physical and mental fitness.
Governor, Lt. Governor welcome high schoolers to third annual Cyber Madness tournament in Bismarck
The Cyber Madness High School Tournament took place Thursday and Friday with 23 teams from 14 schools competing in the initial rounds. The tournament pins teams against each other in a cybersecurity challenge.
On Thursday, Gov. Burgum welcomed the narrowed field of 20 teams to the tournament in Bismarck. Burgum highlighted the incredible efforts from the North Dakota Department of Information Technology to create the event, which was the first cybersecurity tournament created for high schoolers in the nation.
Schools represented in the final stages included Tioga, Bismarck, Fairmount, Grand Forks, Beach, Hankinson, Drake-Anamoose and Williston.
The Cyber Madness tournament aligns with the “PK-20W” initiative, an award-winning, statewide approach to computer science and cybersecurity education and workforce training. The PK-20W coalition is comprised of more than 40 public and private sector participants who share a goal of “Every Student. Every School. Cyber Educated.”
Additionally, on Friday, Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller visited with students participating in the competition.
The 2024 Cyber Madness champions were Team RRHS RoughRiders from Red River High School. In second place was Team Hacktivistz from Bismarck High School, and coming in third place was Team Pirates Blue from Hankinson High School.
Miller welcomes NDAREC members from around the state at annual conference
Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller welcomed members of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) to its 81st annual meeting on Wednesday at the association's headquarters in Mandan.
The NDAREC is the trade association for the state's 17 distribution co-ops and five generation and transmission co-ops. These cooperatives provide electricity to nearly 250,000 North Dakotans.
"RECs were founded on the principles of community and service: farmers and ranchers banding together with their neighbors to establish electricity in rural areas," Miller said. "And all these decades later, you continue to serve. It’s because of your passion to serve that RECs continue to strengthen and create healthy, vibrant communities."
The NDAREC is part of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, which represents a nationwide alliance of member-owned electric co-ops. Collectively, it delivers power and energy solutions to more than 700 local electric cooperatives across 46 states, forming the largest electric utility in the country.