As the Trump Administration looks for ways to fund the construction of physical barriers on the southern border, some cyber-related military construction projects could see their funds diverted.
The military released a list of unawarded projects totaling $12.9 billion, including around $275 million in cyber and IT-related projects, that could be delayed by the White House as it seeks to use up to $3.6 billion of already-appropriated funds for construction on the border.
Released in response to congressional concerns, the list of projects with unawarded funds, obtained by the Washington Post, includes a $99 million cyber instructional facility and network center at Fort Gordon in Georgia, a $40 million information systems facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and $65.9 million for a communications and cryptography facility at the Wahiawa Naval Base in Hawaii. The list also includes $491 million in funds for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
The cyber-related projects on the extensive list of possible project funding sources represent a very small fraction of the total projects listed.
“Decisions have not yet been made concerning which border barrier projects will be funded through section 2808 authority. If the Department’s FY 2020 budget is enacted on time as requested, no military construction project used to source section 2808 projects would be delayed or cancelled,” the fact sheet sent to Congress notes.
DoD also said it would not pull any funds from military housing, and would only pull from projects with an award date after September 30, 2019.