FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– The White House Situation Room is getting a facelift for the first time in 15 years, one that will refit the legendary quarters with sharper screens and new technology to help President JOE BIDEN and his team more ably — and more comfortably — make important decisions.
The Situation Room is a misnomer. Actually, it’s a bunch of rooms — a small, highly classified complex of conference areas, offices and operations centers in the West Wing, where the president meets with his national security team to discuss sensitive matters (and looks nowhere near as cool as it does on TV). It’s filled with a 24/7 crew of military and civilian staff who keep an eye on breaking developments around the globe, ensuring senior White House officials have as much up-to-date information as possible.
Biden was just recently in the WHSR, as it’s known internally, to learn about and authorize the operation to kill al Qaeda leader AYMAN AL-ZAWAHRI.
The multi-million dollar project will start in about two weeks and take about a year to complete, a National Security Council official told me. As construction takes place behind privacy panels, old flooring, furniture, monitors and tech from the last renovation in 2007 will be replaced with the latest equipment. The goal is to maintain the WHSR’s original look from 1961 — when then-President JOHN F. KENNEDY had the first secure communications site created — but more modernized and with updated, better stuff.
"It’ll be nice to have the newer aesthetics and have it feel newer and more presidential,” the NSC official said. NSC spokesperson ADRIENNE WATSON confirmed that the renovation will soon get underway.
Staffers have for years complained that the SitRoom needed updates, both for technological and comfort reasons. “The wear and tear is very heavy given its usage. It’s a 24/7 operation,” the NSC official said. Ultimately, the time had come to make the move and work with the Government Services Administration on finalizing a contract with the construction
The White House will still have access to all the WHSR’s capabilities during the renovation. Staffers will simply be moved to other nearby offices where they’ll still use the same kinds of equipment.
There will be some short-term pain for long-term gain, the NSC official said, because when the WHSR opens again around this time next year, the team’s work will be more efficient and effective. Or, at a minimum, everyone will be seated in more comfy chairs
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