The Biden administration moved Guantanamo Bay detainees Sunday in an effort to consolidate their presence at the naval base used to house suspected terrorists while a National Security Council review on closing the detention facility enters its second month.
President Joe Biden ordered a study in February for how to transfer the remaining 40 inmates and permanently close the detention facility used to house some of the most dangerous terrorism suspects captured during the Afghanistan war. Once numbering more than 700, President George W. Bush began to transfer detainees, a process that continued under the Obama administration but was never completed.
Biden has renewed efforts to close the facility, which would require congressional sign-off that appears to be an uphill fight. The consolidation comes amid an interagency study that could propose a path forward.
“Rightsizing is an ongoing process,” U.S. Southern Command spokesman Maj. Gregory J. McElwain said Monday.
“We will continually work to build efficiencies by ensuring the right number of troops are in place for the mission,” he said. “We do expect, over time, the number of [Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay] staff will continue to be reduced.”
Presently, some 1,500 troops and contractors are involved in caring for the 40 detainees.
BIDEN ORDERS REVIEW AIMED AT CLOSING GUANTANAMO BAY TERRORIST DETENTION FACILITY
Southcom announced Sunday that an undisclosed number of detainees from Camp VII had been transferred to Camp V “safely and without incident.”
“This transfer consolidated all 40 detainees from three to two detention facilities,” the statement read.
Southcom commander Adm. Craig Faller ordered the move, which was described as saving costs and increasing operational efficiency without compromising safety.
In February, the NSC revealed that Biden had ordered a review for how to close the facility.
“We are undertaking an NSC process to assess the current state of play that the Biden administration has inherited from the previous administration, in line with our broader goal of closing Guantanamo,” National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said Feb. 12.
Southcom officials previously told the Washington Examiner that the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is a “no-fail mission” and could not be ordered closed by “just a tweet somewhere,” a reference to former President Donald Trump’s habit of doling out orders and policy edicts via social media accounts he since has been banned from using for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
In the past, detainees who have completed their military commissions and served their time have been relocated to third countries, where local governments keep a close eye on them with regular updates to U.S. diplomats. In some cases, those detainees have rejoined terrorism groups intent on harming Americans.
Southcom could not provide an update on the NSC-led closure process and referred questions to the White House. The NSC did not immediately respond to a request for an update.
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McElwain explained that Camp V underwent renovations between August 2020 and February 2021 in order to accommodate the transfers. No estimated cost savings were available.
“This was the first major renovation to Camp V’s living quarters since it opened in 2004,” he said. “The timetable to transfer detainees was based on the completion of modifications to Camp V and other factors such as Ramadan and other military commission activities scheduled for 2021.”
