Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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The Biden administration has demonstrated the reaction time of a frozen piston, but the executive wing of the federal government is nonetheless trying to make new rules to ensure the security and secrecy of important domestic military installations.
Last week, the Treasury Department’s Office of Investment Security proposed a new rule that will make it far more difficult for foreign entities to buy land near military bases in the United States.
Eight military bases, seven of which are Air Force installations, should soon enjoy protections similar to those of their sister bases across the United States.
In short, the new rule will require foreigners to be granted permission by the federal government to purchase land near these bases.
The modification of existing federal guidance was necessitated after a Chinese firm purchased hundreds of acres near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, ostensibly for the purpose of creating a corn mill.
Grand Forks Air Base is a key cog in U.S. satellite operations and is also home to many surveillance drones. As such, military leaders labeled having a China-connected entity in close proximity a security risk.
The sale never went through after local officials voted to end their partnership with the Chinese firm, but conservative officials were stirred by the realization that Chinese businesses could rather easily pose a threat to both national security and the nation’s food sources.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned about the CCP land grab last August, and dozens of Republican lawmakers followed suit. In September, 50-plus conservative elected officials warned key members of the Biden cabinet in writing that the same Chinese firm that bought land in North Dakota had designs on land in other states.
In South Dakota, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem bypassed the normal gridlock of Washington and pushed for and signed into law a prohibition on foreign purchase of agricultural land.
“Glad to see the Biden administration is following our lead to protect our national security infrastructure from Communist China,” Noem tweeted last week. “Better late than never. I look forward to continuing to work with the SD Legislature and ag leaders to address this.”
Glad to see the Biden administration is following our lead to protect our national security infrastructure from Communist China. Better late than never.
I look forward to continuing to work with the SD Legislature and ag leaders to address this.https://t.co/4g3zC4Rz4Z
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) May 4, 2023
It’s already a federal requirement that the federal government approves the purchase of land by foreigners within 100 miles of military installations in many states. However, certain bases in Arizona, California, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas had not previously fallen under that rule due to the way the term “military installation” was defined in the rule.
That meant that even Lackland Air Force Base, a massive installation in San Antonio, Texas was not technically covered by this rule. Lackland, Fort Sam Houston, and Randolph Air Force Base comprise Joint Base San Antonio, which is among the largest air installations in the world.
In addition to Grand Forks and Lacklan, also left out were Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California; Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas; Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder, South Dakota; Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines; and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas.