NSA breaks ground on $1.2 bil cybersecurity facility

The National Security Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday broke ground on a $1.2 billion data center in Utah that will support national cybersecurity intelligence efforts.

The data center will assist various agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, in protecting national security networks, the NSA said in a news release.

“In an era when our nation and its allies are increasingly dependent on the integrity of information and systems supported, transmitted, or stored in cyberspace, it is essential that that space is as resilient and secure as possible,” John Inglis, deputy director of the NSA, said in a statement.

The one-million-square-foot facility represents the largest current Department of Defense project in the nation.

The facility is being built within the Camp Williams military compound in Riverton, Utah.

Once complete, it will support 100 to 200 full-time employees. The NSA will run the facility.

Five thousand to 10,000 people are expected to be employed during the construction and development of the facility. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for handling the acquisition and contracting process, design and management review and project management.