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Centcom breaks ground on new HQ building at MacDill

Image from U.S. Air Force

This artist's rendering shows plans for a new U.S. Central Command headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base.

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By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 6, 2009

TAMPA - Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, broke ground today on a new Centcom headquarters, a 250,000-square-foot command-and-control center at MacDill Air Force Base.

Construction of the four-story building will create about 350 jobs and should be completed in summer 2011. The headquarters will be part of a complex with the recently completed Joint Intelligence Center, Central Command, and a much smaller reception center and dining area.

The current headquarters, built 25 years ago, will be demolished.

In the past, some base personnel have worked out of trailers, said Maj. John Redfield, a Centcom spokesman. "We have a few buildings that are spread out. There is definitely a plus as far as co-location."

Centcom is the U.S. military authority for the Middle East, Southwest Asia and the Horn of Africa. The command runs the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The new building will meet requirements for certification as a green building by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED.

Construction on the intelligence center started in 2006, along with Coalition Village III, a building for the command's coalition partners. When completed, the construction projects will provide work space for 3,800 to 4,000 personnel.

No new jobs, other than those related to construction, will be created by the projects, Redfield said.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

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