Why Wasn't Fort Monmouth Considered?: Utah's $1.5 billion cyber-security center under way

Here is a bit of news that should blow the minds of all those that have attempted to keep Fort Monmouth in Eatontown alive and operational.

According to an article that appears in today's edtion of the SLC Deseret News, sent to me by my unlce out in Utah, a groundbreaking for a $1.5 billion National Security Agency data center is scheduled for Thursday at Camp Williams Utah.

According to the article, Utah's Senator Orrin Hatch (R,Utah) said that "This will bring 5,000 to 10,000 new jobs during its construction and development phase,Once completed, it will support 100 to 200 permanent high-paid employees."

Further more the article goes on to state that:

Officially named the Utah Data Center, the facility's role in aggregating and verifying dizzying volumes of data for the intelligence community has already earned it the nickname "Spy Center." Its really long moniker is the Community Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative Data Center — the first in the nation's intelligence community.

A White House document identifies the Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative as addressing "one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, but one that we as a government or as a country are not adequately prepared to counter." The document details a number of technology-related countermeasures to the security threat.

Hatch said Utah was chosen for the project over 37 other locations. He characterized the cyber-security center as the "largest military construction project in recent memory."

Hatch said he promoted Utah's favorable energy costs, Internet infrastructure, thriving software industry and proximity to the Salt Lake City International Airport in the bid process that ended up with Camp Williams earning the data center.

My question here is why was Fort Monmouth in the running for this project and if so why wasn't it chosen? I would think that much of the infrastructure for this project is already in place at the Fort and the cost of the project would be anywhere near the $1.5 billion dollar price tag that it will cost to get Camp Williams up and running.

I hate to say it by I think our US Senators Bob Menendez (D,NJ) and Frank Lautenberg (D,NJ) alone with Monmouth County's Congressional team of Chris Smith (R,4th), Frank Pallone(D, 6th) and Rush Holt (D, 12th) dropped the ball on this one.

Read the Article >>> Here