WASHINGTON, D.C.(KELO)- Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City has come a long way in the last 20 years…and Senator John Thune says he aims to keep it going.

20 years ago the Defense Department’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission proposed closing the base.

Thune says it was a gut punch for him…during his first year in the Senate.

An all-out effort saved the base…and Senator Thune says Ellsworth has proven its strategic value since then.

Within the next few years, Ellsworth will expand to become home to the new B-21 Raider Stealth bomber.