Inside the new Centcom headquarters

Posted Aug 2, 2011 by Howard Altman

Updated Aug 6, 2011 at 08:04 PM

When you stand in the lobby of the new U.S. Central Command headquarters, it’s hard to tell at first look that this is the place where military operations in the world’s most volatile region will be run.

You get the idea that this is a military building from the artwork in the lobby –murals of gun-toting troops, aircraft and armored vehicles adorn the walls, but even these don’t offer much of a clue as to what this building is for. The art shows a map of Africa, which is east of Centcom’s AOR.

But a ride in the service elevator to the fourth floor (photo journalist Kate Caldwell and I recently got an exclusive tour of the building) gives a better glimpse of what’s so special about this four-story, 260,000-squre-foot structure built at a cost of nearly $80 million to withstand hurricane winds and explosive blasts.

The new Centcom HQ is part of a soon-to-be completed construction boom at MacDill. Outside the Senior British Military Advisor’s office, a worker opens up a panel on the floor. Underneath lays a portion of the thousands of miles of cable that will link up the high-tech, secure communications and computer systems. It is so secure that, under the portion of the floor, the cables have to be encased in metal conduit.

Down the hall, in the building’s southwest corner, is the commander’s suite. Outside the suit, in a waiting area, are a couch and two plush chairs, blue in a contemporary executive style.

Inside is a conference room, with a sweeping view of the MacDill airfield, sleeping quarters and a small kitchen. Down the hall is a conference room, complete with a 22-foot-long screen, a circular table for the brass and behind it, rows of theater-style seating for anyone else allowed to be in on the commander’s confabs with those downrange.

On this day, a few weeks before the scheduled opening, workers are putting the finishing touches on the screen, which was so big, it had to be installed before the walls were put in.

This is the most complex building in Tampa for a number of reasons, according to Tony Gallivan, vice president of operations for Clark Construction.

“As the general contractor on the project, we can understand the importance and the significance of the owner, Centcom,” says Gallivan. “But our day-to-day relationships and responsibilities are with the [Army] Corps of Engineers.”

Aside from being a huge building requiring state-of-the-art security enhancements and equipment, Centcom officials have been moving in even as construction was taking place around them.

“The joint occupancy and the dynamics of this facility and the need for the owner to put in their equipment, their special equipment, at the same time we are constructing the overall project was a unique facet of this project,” says Gallivan. “How we worked jointly with the Centcom people, contractor and jointly occupied this building for over six months. For that to be successful to build a building of this magnitude is unparalleled. It’s never done this way and that joint occupancy, that joint communications, that joint cooperation is the success of this job. That’s the story behind Centcom.”

But it is not a flawless story. As with any building so large and complex, there have been problems. A design flaw led to cracking cement. A water leak damaged equipment. But records show that the problems were fixed with no cost to taxpayers and no delay.

“As any project of this magnitude on the day to day operations there will be situations, problems that are encountered during construction,” says. Gallivan. “The problems that happened here with a design error issue, structural problem overcome by the architect, redesigned, corrections made at no cost to taxpayers. During the construction of the project, during the flushing of a water system there was some water damage to a significant electrical room. Some gear was damaged. Insurance claim recovered by the contractor at no cost to the taxpayers, paid for by the contractor’s insurance and done at no impact to the schedule. Those things happen. It is a project where you are dealing with 300-400 guys working every day. It’s how you respond to it and how you overcome those issues that make us successful and this project is successful.”

After the building opens up, there will be a a five-month period where Centcom will move its employees and their personnel into the facility, says Gallivan. After that, Clark will demolish the existing headquarters next door and build a 3,000-square-foot visitor’s center, with on-grade parking.

To see video of the new building click here.

This is the commander’s office at the new
Headquarters at Centcom. KATE CALDWELL/STAFF

This is the JOC (Joint Operations Center) at the new
Headquarters at Centcom. KATE CALDWELL/STAFF