The Pentagon spent heavily upgrading bases it shortly thereafter closed

Evidence

Some of the bases being closed in Europe actually enjoyed significant construction and upgrades shortly before closure. For example, the garrison in Bamberg, Germany—whose closure Pentagon officials revealed no later than 2006—saw 87.6 million invested in barracks, a fitness center, and a child development center between 2000 and 2003. Over the same period, the Army invested 67.7 million at the base in Mannheim, where closure began in 2007. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 807

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader pattern of wasteful or politically-driven military infrastructure allocation discussed throughout this book and the general literature on defense pork and base politics.