After about a year of debate about whether or not to build a corn mill in North Dakota, the United States Air Force has weighed in to say that the project 'presents a significant threat to national security.'

In a letter, Assistant Air Force Secretary Andrew Hunter wrote that that the proposed corn mill raised 'near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area.'

The subject of the letter is the plan by Fufeng USA to build a giant milling facility on the border of Grand Forks, North Dakota - about 12 miles from the Air Force Base.

At the outset of debate around the factory, some residents objected to establishing closer economic ties with China, others argued it could easily be used as a spying facility for the hostile Chinese government.

The city of about 60,000's mayor, Brandon Bochenski, who previously supported the project, said Tuesday he would move to block construction by attempting to deny a number of building permits.

North Dakota's two Republican senators - Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven - released the letter written by Hunter as well as their own supporting statement condemning the project.

'The Air Force left ambiguity off the table when they said: ‘The proposed project presents a significant threat to national security with both near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area,'' said the senators.

'As we have recommended, we believe the city should discontinue the Fufeng project and instead we should work together to find an American company to develop the agriculture project.'

Bochenski, who is a first-term mayor and former professional hockey player, had been hesitant to fight the tides of globalism when the opportunity to build the mill - a job boon for the area - first presented itself.

But in the wake of the Air Force's letter, Bochenski changes his tune and said earlier this week he would help fight the project. Though, whatever action he takes, Fufeng USA - the American subsidiary of a Chinese company - will still own the land.

In recent months, building and work on the land development project had been stalled as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviewed the Chinese-helmed company's plans.

Ultimately, CFIUS determined it did not have jurisdiction over the land, further confusing the local officials dealing with the project.

'The response from the federal government during this process can only be viewed as slow and contradictory,' said Bochenski.

'This directive leaves open the question of other entities with Chinese connections across the nation,' he said, adding that a Chinese-owned aviation company in Grand Forks, as well as 'Chinese students and professors at the University of North Dakota' now may be subject to questioning.