US Central Command officials plan to conduct a $180 million renovation and expansion of the CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill AFB, Fla., according to the Tampa Tribune. The Florida newspaper posits the big bucks signal a “lengthy future” for CENTCOM in Tampa, considering MacDill survived BRAC 2005. The expansion would increase CENTCOM holdings from its present 187,000 square-foot facility to about 330,000 square feet. Officials tell the Tribune that the command has suffered from failing infrastructure and tight quarters for years. The building should commence late this year.
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.