Cyber classrooms, child care, more coming to Fort Eisenhower

FORT EISENHOWER, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Fort Eisenhower will be affected by at least three new laws – one to open a child care center on the post, one to upgrade the Cyber Center of Excellence and one expanding military families’ access to mental health care.

Cyber Center of Excellence

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s bill authorizing upgrades to Fort Eisenhower’s Cyber Center of Excellence was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

The law authorizes construction of new classrooms for Fort Eisenhower’s Cyber Center of Excellence, which provides training to cyber, electronic warfare and signal professionals in the Army.

The law authorizes new funding for the Department of Defense to modernize the center — enhancing its capabilities and upgrading classrooms to accommodate the country’s growing cyber workforce.

“The world-class Cyber Center of Excellence is crucial to U.S. national security, and the Georgians who serve there are heroes who need the infrastructure, space and facilities necessary to do their jobs to maximum effectiveness,” said Ossoff, D-Ga. “That’s why I wrote and ed this law with bipartisan to secure these upgrades for Fort Eisenhower.”

According to a 2022 study, the United States is the most targeted country for cyberattacks worldwide, largely outpacing the next ranked country.

Child-care center

was working to secure funding for a new child-care facility on post — and almost a year later, the bill has been signed by President Joe Biden.

In an exclusive interview at the end of December, Ossoff told our I-TEAM that the legislation gives the go-ahead for $21 million to fund a new child development center and $70 million to expand classrooms and technology to train cyber warriors.

Officials say the Fort Eisenhower Child Development Center Expansion Act will provide the Army with a one-year extension to continue work on the project.

“Senator Warnock and I wrote and ed this law to ensure the Army has the necessary authority to build this new child development center for Fort Eisenhower families,” Ossoff said.

Sen. Raphael Warnock said: “Our military families sacrifice so much for our country, and it is our duty as a nation to ensure they have the they need.”

Mental health

Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to expand access to counseling and mental health services for military families in Georgia and nationwide has also been signed into law.

The Military Families Mental Health Services Act became law as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

The law will waive out-of-pocket costs for active-duty military families on TRICARE for their first three outpatient mental health visits per year, empowering them to receive the treatment they need.

“Our bipartisan law will expand free access to counseling and mental health services for military families, who make great sacrifices for our nation, endure great stress in so doing, and deserve nothing less than the care they need when they need it,” Ossoff said.

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