House Republicans plan to block funding for a planned NATO Intelligence Fusion Center at the Croughton military base outside London amid evidence the Defense Department rejected less expensive locations for the facility.
The funding will be stripped from the fiscal 2017 Defense Authorization Act poised to clear Congress this week. Instead, the GOP-led panel will look for alternative locations for the center.
The House Intelligence Committee announced Monday the panel is “broadening its investigation” into a decision by the Defense Department to locate the Joint Intelligence Analysis Center at the Croughton military base.
The panel will investigate “more suitable locations” for the NATO Intelligence Fusion Center, which is part of the Joint Intelligence Analysis Center.
The House Intelligence Committee is focusing on two possible alternative locations: Brussels, where NATO headquarters is located, and Mons, which is the site of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
The panel’s unusual move to overrule the Defense Department was announced after the Government Accountability Office released a new report today citing “numerous deficiencies” in the Defense Department’s justification for selecting Croughton.
