By Katie Schubert
Omaha, NE – The U.S. Senate could later this week approve construction of a new headquarters for U.S. Strategic Command.
The current STRATCOM headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base was built in 1957. It's undergone several renovations. The Senate is set to vote on a military and defense reauthorization act.
Senator Ben Nelson says the project is important to Nebraska's and the nation's security. "The national security project will create jobs and will replace an aging, outdated facility with a new, 21st century high-tech command center to oversee America's nuclear and non-nuclear forces, and protect us from a rapidly emerging threat, cyber-warfare."
Construction on the new STRATCOM headquarters is expected to take four years and cost more than $560 million dollars. Nelson says the construction will mean 400 new jobs.
The defense reauthorization act has already been approved by the U.S. House.
Nelson's comments came Wednesday during his weekly conference call with Nebraska media.