Transitioning Remaining Gitmo Detainees to US to Cost $445Mln - Pentagon

Closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center is expected to cost the United States nearly half a billion dollars in transitioning the remaining prisoners to prisons in the United States, the US Department of Defense announced in a statement on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The statement came after the Obama administration announced its plan to close the Cuba-based detention center earlier on Tuesday.

"Transitioning to a US detention facility would entail certain one-time costs," the plan read. "In total, the Administration estimates these one-time transition costs at a U.S. facility could be between $290 million and $475 million."

"Closing Guantanamo could therefore generate at least $335 million in net savings over ten years and up to $1.7 billion in net savings over 20 years," the press release stated.

Housing the remaining Guantanamo Bay detainees in the United States would cost significantly less than in Cuba, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Obama administration plans to work with the US Congress to figure out the best location in the US mainland to transfer the remaining Guantanamo Bay detainees.

"The plan does not endorse a specific facility to house Guantanamo detainees who cannot be safely transferred to other countries at this time," the statement said. "The administration seeks an active dialogue with Congress on this issue and looks forward to working with Congress to identify the most appropriate location as soon as possible."

More than a dozen potential sites in the United States have been identified where the remaining detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention center could be relocated, the US Department of Defense said.

"For this plan, the Department of Defense identified 13 potential facilities for the purpose of building a cost estimate," the Pentagon said. "This sample allowed the Department of Defense to assess federal, Department of Defense, and state correctional facilities."

The Defense Department noted they reviews the option to split the detainees "between sites," but concluded "a single detention center was the most efficient course of action."

The US authorities have approved additional 35 prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center for transfer abroad, the Department of Defense said in a plan to close the detention facility released on Tuesday.

"Of the 91 detainees who remain at Guantanamo, 35 have been determined to be eligible for transfer by relevant national security departments and agencies," the plan stated.