The Pentagon is considering a $150 million project to improve the detention-center facilities at Guantanamo Bay. NBC News reports the project would include a new dining hall and barracks for the troops, hospital and medical units for detainees, a legal-meeting complex, and a data-storage facility.
General John Kelly, who is in charge of Guantanamo’s operations, cited the worsening conditions of the facilities and detainee unrest as the reasons for the improvements, explaining that some of the buildings at Guantanamo are “falling apart” and have mold. At a hearing earlier this week, Kelly told Congress that detainees have grown frustrated as they realize the chances of closing Guantanamo soon appear to have passed.
One apparent example of unrest has been the number of hunger strike; officials report that the number of hunger strikes by detainees has spiked from 7 to 25 in just the last two weeks. Defense lawyers said that two dozen of the men have lost consciousness, but military officials deny that lives are in danger.