WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department wants to install a $40 million underwater fiber-optic cable from Guantanamo Bay to South Florida, an official told The Miami Herald.
The newspaper said the cable, which needs congressional approval, would be a sign the military is preparing for detentions and other operations at the Navy base for the long-term.
"It only makes sense to do if we're going to be here for any period of time," said Navy Capt. Kirk Hibbert, before the end of his two-year term as the base's commander.
Construction wouldn't start for more than a year.
The Herald said the U.S. military has told the Cuban military to expect a U.S. surveyor ship off the base's coastline this summer.
Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale said the Defense Information Systems Agency had conducted a feasibility study. The agency put the tentative price of the fiber-optic cable at $40 million, which has been included in the fiscal 2013 budget.
Data delivery for the base, which is home to the war court and the prison camps' intelligence unit, has strained communications through a satellite system and planners looked at whether to expand that system or opt for fiber optics.
Source: United Press International, Inc.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/07/05/Fiber-optic-system-eyed-for-Guantanamo-Bay/UPI-30831341537594/#ixzz1zxD7n7iL
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