US military spending millions to renovate Mideast base

Rasa - The United States is spending an estimated $34 million to renovate a military base it has at an undisclosed location in the Middle East, a report says.

News ID: 429112

Date: 22 April 2017 - 23:00

RNA - The renovation by the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Air Force is being conducted on a base which is known by US forces as “The Rock,” Stars and Stripes reported on Friday.

The military force is repairing the base runway, expanding aircraft taxi areas, and constructing shelters for the MQ-9 Reaper drone and new living quarters.

“As missions change and operations increase or decrease, so do our facilities and operational footprint,” US Air Forces Central Command said in a statement. “Construction on the base is an example driven directly by these type of requirements.”

The base houses several C-130s and C-17s, supplies equipment and personnel who participate in US Central Command operations in Afghanistan and coalition so-called fights against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

The Air Force also carries out electronic attacks and drone missions from the base, the report added.

Although the US military leaders have denied any direct link between the renovation and a prolonged presence in the region, they have alluded to their intention of maintaining their presence there into the future.

The US military might remain in Iraq for years even after defeating Daesh terrorists, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford have said.

US military spending stands at approximately $600 billion annually, but President Donald Trump has pledged a "massive” increase in the Pentagon’s budget spending to implement “the greatest military build-up in American history.”

847/940