Haaretz: The United States is building billions of dollars in military facilities for Israel

Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported that the United States is building infrastructure for Israel to accommodate new air force refueling planes and helicopters, a new headquarters for the naval commando fleet, and several other construction projects worth billions of dollars.

A report by Haaretz on Monday, citing official documents from the US Army Corps of Engineers published online, indicated that these projects are being funded with billions of dollars in security aid to Israel, including the construction of a new naval headquarters and air bases.

The report noted that Israel receives $3.8 billion annually to purchase equipment and weapons, while tenders reveal approximately 20 construction programs funded by security assistance funds.

Haaretz explained that these construction projects also include the establishment of a new headquarters for the 13th Battalion, in addition to a project known as “Tama 38” in some documents and “Tama 58” in others, although it relates to the renovation of the Israeli army’s armored vehicle maintenance centers, according to the source.

Haaretz reported that the US Army Corps of Engineers stated that the project is unrelated to the TAMA 38 program for strengthening structures or the TAMA 58 program for waste treatment in the Palestinian territories, while the Israeli military hasn’t commented on the US projects.

Haaretz reported that presentations and documents issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers only mention the sites by code names, and when contractors are invited for preliminary tours, the location is kept secret and announced only verbally.

Haaretz added that the bidding documents of the competing companies require that they avoid any details identifying the project site, but the bidding documents contain hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of procedures, drawings, and precise specifications, “down to the level of the screw and the thickness of the concrete”.

Haaretz said that some of these pages specify the exact location of the project, while others include detailed maps and aerial photos of the planned sites, including the planned access road to the construction site, details that reveal the project in question.

The Israeli newspaper explained that the US Army Corps of Engineers has numerous projects throughout Israel, while the new tenders include: the construction of ammunition storage bunkers at Hatzerim Air Base at a cost of up to $100 million, and the establishment of a “rapid landing zone”—an area designated for unloading and loading ammunition, explosives, and hazardous materials—at a cost of $10 million.

Haaretz stated that the infrastructure to accommodate 12 helicopters—including the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of two hangars, warehouses, and parking lots at the Tel Nof base—would cost $250 million, in addition to heavy vehicle maintenance workshops at several bases at a cost of up to $100 million.

Haaretz confirmed that this isn’t the first time the US Army Corps of Engineers has revealed the construction of websites in Israel.

In 2012, reports emerged that the United States was constructing a secret underground complex known as “Site 911” for use by the Israeli Air Force.

The construction cost was estimated at tens of millions of dollars, while project documents revealed online indicated that this is a major project at the Nevatim base, which is a cooperation base with the United States, according to Haaretz.