President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the Department of War will establish a new military testing range in Montana, telling supporters at a campaign rally in Kalispell that the facility would be used to test advanced weapons and technologies, including autonomous weapons, space and electronic warfare systems, and hypersonic technology.
The announcement, delivered at the Majestic Valley Arena while the president campaigned for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections, was reported by the Washington Examiner and carried by One America News, which published video of the remarks.
"I'm pleased to inform you and announce that right here in Montana, the Department of War is going to establish a new super range for testing advanced weapons and technologies," Trump said, according to the posted transcript of his remarks. He described the scope of the facility as covering "potential autonomous weapons, space and electronic warfare technology, super sonics and hypersonics."
The president framed the selection as a prize Montana officials had sought. "You've wanted it very much," he said, naming three people identified only by first name in the transcript — Kim, Steve and Greg — as among those who pushed for it, before adding with a laugh that the rest of the country might not be as pleased. "The rest of our country maybe won't be thrilled because a lot of other people wanted it also," he said.
Trump closed the announcement on a lighter note, telling the crowd: "Montana will help ensure the American military always reigns supreme. So you're getting it, everybody. Will you please leave me alone?"
The account @OANN, carrying video of the rally, reported that the range is intended to test "advanced weapons and technologies, including autonomous weapons, space and electronic warfare systems, and hypersonic technology." The @dcexaminer account framed the announcement as a boost to Montana Republicans, reporting that the president "announced the Department of War is establishing a new military testing range in Montana as he sought to boost Republican candidates in the state at a campaign rally."
The range announcement was not an isolated stop. According to @OANN, the president "returns to the White House after traveling to Arizona and Montana to campaign for Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections" — a trip that closed with the Montana rally and the super range announcement as its headline moment. The Washington Examiner noted that the Montana announcement followed a similar reveal during a recent rally in Ohio, where the president announced plans for a new submarine repair center in the battleground state — a pattern of defense-related facility announcements tied to campaign appearances.
Other outlets covering the event described the announcement in comparable terms. One report said Trump announced at the Montana rally that the Pentagon "will establish a new 'super range' for testing hypersonic weapons, autonomous weapons, and electronic warfare tech." Another said Montana would be the home of a new Defense Department facility "to test advanced weapons and technology during a rally promoting Aaron Flint, who is running to represent the Big Sky state in the House" — identifying the Republican candidate the rally was organized around.
Newsweek, in its account, said the president touted the weapons "Super Range" alongside gun rights and tariffs — indicating the range announcement was one item in a broader rally message rather than the sole focus of the event. HuffPost characterized the venue as "a campaign event in Kalispell, Montana," describing it as the president's latest stop on a tour supporting Republican candidates.
The announcement drew attention as well to the broader context of the president's defense messaging, coming in the same period as the campaign swing through two states. The Washington Examiner account, like the others, presented the range as a Pentagon initiative announced by the president, with the Montana location as its central news hook.
The posts carrying the announcement did not include operational details about the range, such as its precise location within Montana, its timeline for construction, its cost, or which agencies would manage testing there. The transcript of the president's remarks likewise did not specify those particulars. Coverage of the event focused on the announcement itself and the campaign setting in which it was made.
Next News Network could not independently verify the announced establishment of the super range in Montana.
Our Take
Whatever the operational details turn out to be, the politics of this announcement are straightforward. Montana is a state Republicans need to hold and, in a midterm cycle, a state where a defense installation carries weight beyond the ribbon-cutting — it carries jobs, contracts and a reason for voters to show up in November. The president was explicit about the audience: the people who "wanted it very much," named as Kim, Steve and Greg, and a crowd that answered with enthusiasm. And coming on the heels of a submarine repair center announcement in Ohio, this looks less like an isolated decision than a deliberate campaign-season message that defense money and defense jobs follow Republican victories. The reporting across outlets — the Washington Examiner, OAN, Newsweek, HuffPost and others — converges on the announcement itself, which is what readers should take away: a president on the trail, offering a prize, tying national security to the ballot box. The details will get sorted out by the Pentagon and by Congress. The message was delivered Wednesday in Kalispell, and it was not subtle.
