U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi addressed concerns regarding the consideration of smaller but strategically essential military installations in long-term infrastructure planning by the U.S. Department of Defense. As a member of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, Hyde-Smith participated in a hearing to review the fiscal year 2026 defense budget request for military construction and family housing.
Hyde-Smith emphasized the importance of not overlooking installations in Mississippi during infrastructure upgrades and resource prioritization. She stated, “A concern of mine is how the Department is ensuring that smaller, but strategically-essential installations such as those in Mississippi, are not overlooked when it comes to long-term planning for necessary infrastructure upgrades and resource prioritization.”
Dale Marks, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, responded by affirming the administration’s commitment to evaluating all installations comprehensively. He said, “As we think about things like Golden Dome, when we think about the defense of our installations to counter small UAS and other things, is the importance of our installations again not only as force protection platforms but as warfighting places themselves.”
Hyde-Smith also raised questions about the responsiveness of the Trump administration compared to its predecessor concerning restructuring reports for Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) projects. These projects often require restructuring to improve living conditions or address financial shortfalls.
Marks assured Hyde-Smith of their dedication to expediting evaluations and reports. He remarked, “As a past resident of military housing, I assure you that I appreciate greatly what you are discussing here today.”
Additionally, Hyde-Smith expressed gratitude towards the Department of the Air Force for supporting a $25 million appropriation approved by Congress in FY2025 for replacing Keesler Air Force Base’s air traffic control tower.
The Pentagon is anticipated to release detailed justifications soon for its FY2026 military construction budget request amounting to $18.9 billion—an increase from the previous fiscal year’s enacted levels.
