US government to spend $29 million on new intelligence unit at southwest Ohio Air Force base

The U.S. government said it plans to spend more than $29 million for a new building at Ohio's largest military base to help study the capabilities of foreign armed forces.

Ohio lawmakers on Monday announced the money for the key intelligence operation at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton.

The $29.5 million will be spent on the "Foreign Material Exploitation" facility for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, which is based at Wright-Patterson, according to the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/1q47P6H ).

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said he was among the lawmakers who pursued funding for the project.

"This new investment will further strengthen NASIC's capability to provide cutting-edge research on the next generation of foreign aerospace and weapon system capabilities," Brown said in a statement said. "This new infusion of federal resources comes on top of the outstanding civilian and military personnel already working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base."

The National Air and Space Intelligence Center has about 3,000 military and civilian employees and a budget of some $350 million.

Wright-Patterson is the state's largest single-site employer. About 27,000 military members, civilian and government contractor employees work on the base, making it one of the largest employers among Air Force bases worldwide.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com