The Pentagon wants to build data centers. Congress would like a word

Senior Airman Shawn Caesar, 96th Communications Squadron, trouble shoots the recently streamlined server equipment in the base data-center Feb. 11 on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/2nd Lt. Christine Saunders)

By Andres Picon • Jul 24, 2026

The Department of Defense’s leasing of land to private companies for artificial intelligence server farms is drawing bipartisan scrutiny from lawmakers worried about the impact on military installations and surrounding communities.

The Pentagon is building data centers to supercharge its war tactics with drone swarms and other technologies powered by AI. Members of Congress — including a senior Republican appropriator — are trying to check that effort before it accelerates any further.

“As we enter the period of AI, which requires very serious data centers, data facilities, that are extraordinary consumers of both energy and water, the question arises as to whether they should be on military bases,” Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) said last month after proposing a sweeping amendment to the House’s version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.