RAF Molesworth, England –
The Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex is one step closer to reality. On April 12, the project broke ground at RAF Molesworth. DIA Deputy Director Suzanne White participated in the groundbreaking ceremony and described the future facility as “a beacon of partnership and solidarity.”
The facility is part of the Department of Defense’s overall European Infrastructure Consolidation efforts, and it will combine 20 facilities and over 1,000 DIA personnel into one location. Among others, it will host members of the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre, Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System, U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command and U.S. Air Force elements in a cross-agency, multi-mission collaboration.
In her remarks, White said the facility enables the U.S. and allies’ shared mission of “outpacing our strategic competitors and addressing threats together wherever they may arise.”
U.S. Army Col. Steven Lacy commands the U.S. European Command Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe Analytic Center. He emphasized the importance of the facility to multiple regions. "This project exemplifies the U.S. government's strong commitment to European and African security, NATO unity, and our unique bond with the United Kingdom.”
Lacy also underscored the amount of coordination that occurred prior to the groundbreaking, saying it took almost a decade of planning to begin construction.
That effort required input from elements across DIA, including technical support from the Chief Information Office and Facilities and Services.
DIA CIO Doug Cossa attended the ceremony and described what the moment represented: “The groundbreaking was an impressive demonstration of our collaboration with our partners, focused on sharing intelligence and building structure together. We appreciate the opportunity to work with our partners.”
Cossa continued, praising key stakeholders’ commitment to partnerships and reflecting that the process had been “a learning experience as much as it was a collaboration effort on how to further integrate with our partners.” Expressing a common sentiment, he concluded, “We look forward to the future of our partnership with the British on the JIAC.”
The JIAC project is predicted to take four years to complete and is estimated to cost $556 million.