US seeks fiber-optic cable for Guantanamo Bay

Friday, July 6, 2012

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. military hopes to install a $40 million underwater fiber-optic cable that could improve communications at Guantanamo Bay, a military official said Thursday.

The goal is to bring the infrastructure of the naval base up to par with other government agencies, said Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the Guantanamo military commissions.

Currently, the base relies on a single satellite for its communications system.

“It feels like the sort of dial-up Internet that we had in the 90s,” Breasseale said. “It’s a very limited bandwidth.”

He said the cable would run 800 miles from Guantanamo Bay to South Florida and could start operating within two years.

Cuban authorities have been notified about the project, and the survey ship USNS Zeus is expected to arrive at the naval base in upcoming weeks.

Currently, technicians have to constantly reroute bandwidths depending on the needs of the various organizations based in Guantanamo, Breasseale said.

“It massively degrades the systems when you have to put your work product on hold,” he said. “This is really going to cure a lot of ills.”

Breasseale said the cable project is meant to serve the naval station for years to come and is not an indication the detention center, which currently holds 169 detainees, will remain open indefinitely.

“We have plans to close the detention facility,” he said. “That remains our goal.”

The fiber-optic cable project has been included in the fiscal 2013 budget and needs approval from Congress.

More like this story

spelchek 10 months, 2 weeks ago

What the...? The very first thing the king did was sign an executive order to shut down this unconstitutional blight on our country that's still open after the executive order. Now they want to dump $40,000,000 into this thing? Let me guess libs...this is Bush's fault? I suppose Bush will be signing this check too? Long live the king!!!!

dokeus6 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Alfred, Did you ever think that it could be a job based decision? Putting people to work is job one in this country. Creating jobs is now bad since Obama is doing it?

Typical right wing chicken little syndrome.

Sequoia 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Obama doesn't want to close the whole base, right? Just the prison?

Sequoia 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Sure it matters. We ought not just cut stuff without making sure we know what we're doing.

I agree we can live without the prison there, but I'm not sure what else we do at that base. It is probably all secret. Some of it might be important.

Do you want Jack Nicholson on that line? DO YOU NEED HIM ON THAT LINE?

MO4LIFE 10 months, 2 weeks ago

The base is in CUBA and Cuba is Communist therefore it would matter Grace! Prison can be Closed but the base needs to remain for security purposes since this is a communist regime that is against the US and is closer the US than we are to Florida!!!! Or does conservatism mean you just do it and hope for the best.

Sequoia 10 months, 2 weeks ago

I don't think Cuba is much of a threat to national security. What are they going to do, send Castro's ghost across the ocean in a car from the 1950s? I agree that I don't know what we do there. Grace very well could be right... the whole base there might just be a cold war relic we don't need anymore.

JCLifer 10 months, 2 weeks ago

seems kind of snobbish that we would have a base on Communist land, but the communists don't have a base on our land.

JMO 10 months, 2 weeks ago

Now, now...make up your mind. Is he a communist, a socialist or a member of the Islaimc brotherhood bent on bringing down America? You seem to pick your insults to fit the news story.

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