While many in Congress continue to oppose the transfer of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to maximum security federal prisons, the cost factor may eventually overwhelm all other arguments.
The price tag per Gitmo detainee? $1.6 million a
year.
That compares to $34,000 a year for the average inmate at a high security federal prison.
Congressman Adam Smith, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee plans to use those numbers as the committee dives into the nuts and bolts of the fiscal year 2014 defense budget. The panel is expected to debate the issue today.
Smith recently authored an Op-Ed piece, “An Exit Strategy from Detention at Guantanamo,” laying out the reasons why the military facility located in Cuba should be closed and the 166 detainees moved to prisons in the continental U.S. And the Associated Press (story) and Reuters (story) wrote extensive stories laying out the exorbitant cost of running and maintaining Guantanamo.
Smith, a Washington Democrat, will propose multiple amendments designed to give the president flexibility. Specifically, the congressman will move to strike two provisions that limit the White House’s ability to transfer detainees.
A Smith press release issued this morning said: “Additionally, the Chairman’s mark provides $61 million more than the Department of Defense had planned to spend on replacing existing temporary infrastructure to instead construct permanent facilities at Guantanamo Bay. At a time when our country is facing the negative effects of sequestration, we should be working to close this expensive and unnecessary facility rather than seeking to spend additional funds to make it permanent.”
The numbers are rather staggering:
Annual Cost of Detention Operations at Guantanamo Bay
| Budget Category | FY2013 |
| Detention Operations | $79,000,000 |
| Linguists at Guantanamo Bay | $13,625,000 |
| Operations & Maintenance, Army (OCO) | $80,502,900 |
| Office of Military Commissions | $12,625,000 |
| Office of Military Commission (NCR) | $68,871,074 |
| Office of Military Commission (USARSO) | $9,564,000 |
| TOTAL | $264,187,974 |
| | |
| Annual Cost Per Detainee (166 detainees) | $1,591,493 |
Source: Department of Defense
Annual Cost Per Inmate in High Security Federal Prison
| Fiscal Year | FY2008 | FY2009 | FY2010 | FY2011 | FY2012 |
| Annual Cost Per Inmate | $27,924 | $32,119 | $33,858 | $34,629 | $34,046 |
Source: CRS Report: The Federal Prison Population Buildup: Overview, Policy Changes, Issues, and Options. January 22, 2013.
Historical Construction Costs at Guantanamo Bay
| Project | Amount |
| Detention Facility PH I (408 Cells) | $20,643,000 |
| Detention Facility PH II (204 Cells) | $13,374,000 |
| Detention Facility PH III (204 Cells) | $18,200,000 |
| Detention Facility PH IV (192 Cells) | $4,472,000 |
| JTF Military Commission Complex | $21,740,000 |
| JTF Troop Support | $8,500,000 |
| JTF Interrogations/Interview | $17,860,000 |
| Planning and Design | $1,800,000 |
| Psychiatric Ward | $3,050,000 |
| Camp 6 Detention Facility (220 Cells) | $36,000,000 |
| Radio Range Security Fence | $4,400,000 |
| Classified Project | $1,800,000 |
| Expeditionary Legal Complex | $3,600,000 |
| TOTAL | $155,439,000 |
Source: U.S. Army: GTMO Contract Actions Spreadsheet Analysis. January 27, 2010
FY2014 Proposed Construction Costs at Guantanamo Bay
| MILCON Project | Authorized in NDAA | Cost of Temporary Facility |
| Seaside Galley | $12,000,000 | $12,000,000 |
| High Value Detainee Facility | $52,000,000 | $52,000,000 |
| Medical Support Facility | $11,800,000 | $11,800,000 |
| Communications Network Facility | $11,600,000 | $11,600,000 |
| Barracks (496 Person) | $94,000,000* | $68,000,000 |
| Barracks (352 Person) | $66,000,000* | $31,000,000 |
| TOTAL | $247,400,000 | $186,400,000 |
* The committee chairman’s budget "mark" authorizes an increase in scope above what the Department of Defense had planned in order to make these facilities permanent. NDAA refers to the National Defense Reauthorization Act.
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