The huge hotel and mall complex project undergoing construction at Ramstein AB, Germany, likely will open two years late and significantly over estimated costs, reports Stars and Stripes. In fall 2005, Air Force project managers heralded the installation of a 15-ton dome for a segment of the 840,000 square foot Kaiserslautern Military Community Center, believing then the center would open in early 2007. Instead, officials told Stripes last week that the roof leaks, and the roofing company has gone bankrupt. That and other problems among 36 contractors have led to slowdowns and an estimated 20 percent increase in costs. The centerpiece hotel now expects to take its first guest late this year and opening of the shopping mall portion might be another year away.
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.