The Richmond Times-Dispatch is reporting that Georgia officially lost its bid for a $416 million embassy security training facility. The Virginia newspaper reported last night that Fort Pickett in southern Virginia has been selected to host the training center.
Once completed in 2019, officials said the facility will train between 8,000 and 10,000 people a year, including members of the State Department diplomatic corps and military personnel who are assigned to protect U.S. embassies, missions and consulates around the world.
Several Republican members of the Georgia delegation in Congress pushed hard for the Obama administration to expand the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco to host the facility, which they argued would save hundreds of millions of dollars. But the administration said the Virginia site is more convenient to Washington and better met the State Department’s needs.
We did a deep dive into this last summer and will be posting updates and reaction as we get them.
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