Military officials have agreed to send a report to Congress about their efforts to move the nation’s early-warning operations out of the Cold War-era facility inside Cheyenne Mountain southwest of Colorado Springs.
The move comes as the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, begins a probe of the move.
Intelligence crews already have moved from the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) facility deep inside the mountain to Peterson Air Force Base, east of Colorado Springs, where a newer U.S. Northern Command headquarters is located.
But many of the U.S. and Canadian military personnel who for decades have scanned North American skies for enemy intruders still are working inside the mountain.
The GAO study, which began last week, could lead to a reversal of the move out of Cheyenne Mountain, or could validate the change.
Military leaders say the move would consolidate early-warning forces, increase efficiency and eventually save money.
U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of NORAD and Northcom, initiated the move last year. Senators and congressmen have been demanding a full report for months.
Keating gave briefings and an executive summary to lawmakers. On Thursday, he agreed to send out a full report to the armed services and appropriations committees of the House and Senate, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Cornelio at NORAD/Northcom headquarters.
“We believed we were keeping (congressional leaders) in the loop. What we were providing them was evidently less than what they were looking for,” Cornelio said.
A team of five GAO investigators – three working in Colorado and two at military offices in Washington – is expected to look into all aspects of the move in the coming months.
Staff writer Bruce Finley can be reached at 303-954-1700 or bfinley@denverpost.com.
