WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, announced today that he secured $39 million for the California Army National Guard to construct a new 43,000-square-foot Satellite Communications (SATCOM) operations facility at Camp Roberts. The new funds are in addition to the $2.9 million he announced earlier this week to repair the High Water Bridge at the military installation.
Camp Roberts SATCOM facilities provide communications capabilities for strategic and tactical U.S. and Allied forces around the globe, particularly for operations in the Pacific theater. Camp Roberts needs to expand and modernize the current facility to meet increased demands created by the President’s strategic rebalance of Department of Defense assets for the Asia-Pacific region.
“A new SATCOM facility is needed to meet the changing mission of our modern military,” said Farr. “Investments like this in Camp Roberts’ infrastructure hopefully shows the Pentagon recognizes the unique strategic value created by the Central Coast’s military installations.”
This $39 million is in addition to the $2.9 million received earlier this week to repair the High Water Bridge at Camp Roberts. Repairs to the bridge, which is currently inoperable due to severe structural damage, are necessary to improve personnel safety during training. The bridge provides the most direct link to Camp Roberts’ medical facility from the firing range. Repairs to the bridge will cut travel time between the two locations by almost 40 minutes.
“The safety of our National Guard members during training is the top priority for the leadership at Camp Roberts,” said Farr. “The High Water Bridge provides the fastest route between the firing ranges and the medical facility. In the event of an emergency, every second is critical to get medical help so I am glad we are able to restore this vital link between the two locations.”
The new SATCOM facility has an estimated completion date of June 2016. The repairs to the High Water Bridge are expected to be completed before next summer.
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