Cramer Hosts First ‘Carry a Big Stick’ Defense Forum with Golden Dome Director General Michael Guetlein

Fireside chat highlights North Dakota’s existing role in missile defense and space operations ***Click here for media resources.*** MEDORA, N.D. – “Speak softly and carry a big stick – you will go far” was the perfect quote and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library was the perfect location to kick off U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer’s (R-ND) inaugural “Carry a Big Stick” Defense Forum today. It provided Cramer and his guests an opportunity to apply the philosophy of the nation’s 26 th President to the modern world. The forum brought together Cramer, Golden Dome for America Director General Michael Guetlein, U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), and Tanagra Enterprises Founder and CEO Sarah Mineiro to discuss President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome initiative. They covered how it will shape the future of U.S. missile and space defense and its role as a modern-day “big stick” of American military superiority, becoming as credible and capable as Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet as it journeyed around the world. “I like bringing national security leaders to North Dakota to remind them of what our contribution to liberty is,” said Cramer. “And now, we have this famous presidential library dedicated to President Roosevelt, who had one of the greatest lines of all time: ‘Walk softly, carry a big stick, and you will go far.’ And the big stick symbol is perfect for all kinds of things, not the least of which are space-based interceptors. One of the main reasons I wanted General Guetlein to come out here for the ‘Carry a Big Stick’ forum is to socialize the knowledge of Golden Dome. It’s the concept of a dome, the concept of a series of layers, if you will, of protections of the mainland of the continental United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii.” “As a nation, we’ve relied on our oceans to keep us safe for generations. While we’ve been focused on fights overseas, our adversaries have grown both determined and increasingly capable of holding the Homeland at risk,” said Guetlein. “Defending our own soil is a national imperative, Golden Dome is rapidly changing the defense equation and ensuring a fight against America is a losing bet,” Guetlein said. “Golden Dome for America strengthens the nation’s security by unifying and advancing Homeland defense capabilities to detect, deter, and defeat incoming threats. We are proving every day we are going to pull this off.” “We appreciate Senator Cramer hosting this series and General Guetlein for coming to North Dakota to discuss Golden Dome. The Golden Dome initiative will protect our nation from all types of attacks, and North Dakota has an important role to play. Our state is foundational to America’s national security with our nuclear, UAS, and space missions,” said Hoeven. “Through my position on the Defense Appropriations Committee, we’re working to fund this priority, along with our nuclear missions, which serve as our original deterrent. In the modern world, military strength means a full spectrum of systems and capabilities from nuclear to conventional and from under the sea to outer space. North Dakota’s military bases and our technology ecosystem are contributing from one end of the spectrum to other and we look forward to adding Golden Dome to that list.” Among other topics, the fireside chat highlighted how North Dakota’s existing capabilities and ecosystem has positioned the state for a leading role in the Golden Dome initiative, including missile warning, space surveillance, satellite operations, academic research, and workforce development. Cavalier Space Force Station (SFS) operates the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Characterization System (PARCS), which provides missile warning and space surveillance, while Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) operates satellites of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. GFAFB will also be the home to a new state-of-the-art Space Force Space Operations Facility. The University of North Dakota (UND) is also expanding its space program and developing the workforce needed for the growing space domain. “An important part of this effort is having conversations like this one, in a forum like this, where we can be direct about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and why this threat demands the urgency it does,” said Guetlein. “Senators, thank you for your support and partnership as we focus on the things that matter today and tomorrow.” “The investments that North Dakota has made in places like our universities, our bases, Grand SKY, UAS, and space pay off—not just in terms of a return on investment, which they have, but in a way that demonstrates how North Dakota punches above its weight class because we sense the obligation we have to the security of this nation,” continued Cramer. Guetlein visited North Dakota with Cramer in 2025, touring UND, GFAFB, and Cavalier SFS to see the state’s defense and space missions up close. Cramer has made missile defense and North Dakota’s national security role longstanding priorities. In 2025, he and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced the GOLDEN DOME Act , legislation to modernize and expand ground- and space-based capabilities to protect the U.S. against ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles and drone threats. The bill was included in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He has also worked for years to expand North Dakota’s role in the nation’s space architecture. Cramer helped establish the partnership between SDA and GFAFB, bringing then-SDA Director Dr. Derek Tournear to Grand Forks in 2020. The following year, SDA designated the base for a future satellite mission, and in 2024, Cramer brought SDA Operations Center North online. Cramer’s early advocacy for Space Force in the Fiscal Year 2020 NDAA ultimately led to its creation. He advocated for the service during Senate Armed Services Committee hearings in 2019, arguing space was becoming a contested national security domain. Following its establishment, Cramer became co-chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and has continued supporting the service through subsequent defense legislation. His efforts have brought senior military and space leaders to North Dakota, including Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach, former Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey, former Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and former U.S. Space Command Commander and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond. In 2020, Cramer hosted Gen. Raymond in Grand Forks for his first public visit after President Trump selected him to serve as Chief of Space Operations.