President Donald Trump announced at a campaign rally in Kalispell, Montana, on Wednesday that the Pentagon plans to establish a military testing range in the state for advanced weapons and other technologies. He did not specify the site, the expected cost or when testing might start.
Trump described the proposed facility as a “super range” and said it would be used to test technologies including autonomous weapons, space and electronic warfare systems, and supersonic and hypersonic weapons. The announcement was made at Majestic Valley Arena.
The president said other parts of the country had sought the project. He also credited Montana’s Republican lawmakers with pushing for it, singling out Sen. Tim Sheehy in a joking exchange with the crowd. The supplied account does not identify which other locations pursued the range or provide details about how the project was selected.
The technologies named in the announcement are areas of military development. The Government Accountability Office describes hypersonic weapons as systems capable of traveling at least five times the speed of sound. The source also notes that the War Department has identified autonomous systems and electronic warfare capabilities as strategically important. It does not provide further technical specifications for the proposed Montana facility or explain what testing programs would be conducted there.
Trump said the project would help maintain U.S. military strength. However, he offered no additional information about its funding, construction or operational arrangements. The announcement therefore leaves key questions about the scope and timeline of the initiative unanswered.
The remarks came during Trump’s second rally of the day and the third stop on a Western campaign trip supporting Republican candidates before the midterm elections. He appeared in Montana’s 1st Congressional District to campaign for House candidate Aaron Flint and Senate candidate Kurt Alme. Earlier Wednesday, he held a rally in Arizona; he had campaigned in Alaska on Tuesday.
The source reports Trump’s announcement but does not include a Pentagon statement confirming the plan or further details from the department. The proposal’s location, budget and start date remain unspecified in the material provided.
