Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senator Katie Britt has expressed concerns regarding the funding shortfall for the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC) Phase 2 construction project in a letter to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

MSIC, a Department of Defense service intelligence center, focuses on analyzing and assessing foreign air and missile defense systems, ballistic missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, anti-satellite missile systems, and direct energy weapons. The center has played a significant role since its inception in the 1950s, including during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War. It continues to provide critical information for national security today.

The center is also vital for Huntsville and Alabama, employing hundreds of defense contractors who specialize in weapons systems, modeling and simulation, and computing. However, Phase 2 construction faces "significant cost increases... due to a 200% increase in the cost of electrical equipment and a 120% increase in the cost of specialized mechanical equipment," resulting in a funding shortfall of approximately $94 million.

Britt emphasized that "without Phase 2 construction, MSIC will struggle to meet current scientific and technical intelligence needs for the DOD, the Intelligence Community, and the U.S. acquisition community." She urged ODNI and DOD to "explore all avenues to consider reprogramming... to fund the remaining Phase 2 project at MSIC."

Highlighting the importance of MSIC's mission amid a "heightened threat landscape around the world," Britt stated that "the mission and expertise of MSIC’s highly trained scientists and engineers has never been more relevant and critical to our national defense."

Senator Britt raised this issue during a Senate Appropriations Committee Business Meeting on July 11, 2024. During her remarks at the hearing, she noted: “I want to speak briefly today about a critical military construction shortfall at the Defense Intelligence Agency Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC)... While MSIC is located in Huntsville, Ala., it is of nationwide importance... The women and men of MSIC are at the tip of the spear to ensure the U.S. is the most lethal fighting force in the world."

Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) also committed to working with Senator Britt on addressing MSIC’s Phase II funding shortfall. Sinema remarked: “I just wanted to say to Senator Britt how much I appreciate her desire to ensure military installations in her state have the funding they need.”