The US military guarding the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is hoping for money in the next budget submitted by President Donald Trump to upgrade the facility that was originally built with a five-year lifespan and now decaying after more than 15 years, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) chief Adm. Craig Faller told Congress on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th February, 2019) The US military guarding the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is hoping for money in the next budget submitted by President Donald Trump to upgrade the facility that was originally built with a five-year lifespan and now decaying after more than 15 years, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) chief Adm. Craig Faller told Congress on Thursday."We have facilities that are beyond the ability to repair the roofs, where the alarm systems are questionable based on the water intrusion," Faller said. "When the president's budget is released, I expect it to include money that would be put for some long-term facility upgrades."
Faller explained that facilities were originally constructed with an estimated lifespan of about five years and that upgrades are needed for the safety of the US guard force and also to ensure the safe, humane treatment of the detainees.
One of President Donald Trump's first acts in office was to repeal an executive order by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and move detainees to US prisons.
About 40 detainees remain imprisoned at the detention facility, compared with 780 prisoners - mainly from Afghanistan - who were incarcerated in the years following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, according to a recent fact sheet by Human Rights First.
