Key Takeaways The Air Force is offering over 3,000 acres across five military bases for private AI data center development in leases up to 50 years. Edwards Air Force Base in California would provide...
The U.S. Air Force is offering private companies the opportunity to lease more than 3,000 acres of land on five military installations for commercial artificial intelligence data centers, a move that has raised questions about national security, land use, and the blurring of lines between public and private operations.
According to a request for lease proposal published on October 15 and October 21, the Air Force will make "underutilized" land available at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Robins Air Force Base in Georgia, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, and Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee.
The initiative follows a July 23 executive order in which President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to offer federal land for AI data center construction, promising what he called a "golden age for American manufacturing and technological dominance."
The executive order specifically instructed the Department of Defense to identify suitable sites on military installations for data center infrastructure.
Robert Moriarty, the Air Force's deputy assistant secretary of installations, said in a news release provided to Defense One: "AI is transforming the modern world, and these data centers are crucial for America to remain at the forefront of innovation."
However, national security experts have expressed concern about the unprecedented nature of the arrangement. Stacie Pettyjohn, a senior fellow and director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, told Defense One: "I have never heard of something like this before, where some of the public land was going to be leased to private companies to use. I think it is noteworthy … because it is potentially ceding land that the U.S. government will actually never get control over again."
The vast majority of the available land—2,115 acres spread across seven sites—is located at Edwards Air Force Base, which serves as home to many of the Air Force's test aircraft projects.
The remaining parcels include 300 acres in Arizona, 219 acres in Georgia, 193 acres in New Jersey, and 274 acres in Tennessee.
Pettyjohn raised particular concerns about private companies having access to Edwards and its sensitive operations. "If you're letting a lot of people on the base, there is a lot of room for potential espionage, let alone sabotage or things like that," she said. "It does seem to be purely commercial and transactional, and a part of the broader administration's policy towards blurring the lines between private and public, which, in some ways, is what you see in authoritarian states like China."
An Air Force spokesperson stated that the service will "ensure the proper security precautions are taken to protect the installation and its assets," though specific security measures were not detailed.
Companies seeking to lease the land must meet substantial requirements. Projects must involve at least $500 million in capital expenditures and require at least 100 megawatts of new contracted power.
Developers must also demonstrate a track record of having built three AI data centers drawing at least 100 megawatts of new contracted power within the last three years.
The chosen developer would be responsible for supplying "sufficient power and water," with the Air Force giving preference to water-efficient technology.
Companies must also submit a "mitigation and contingency plan to ensure the local communities' utilities service life, resiliency, and capacity are not impacted," according to the Air Force spokesperson.
While the government retains the option to purchase AI data center services and power from the projects, the lease proposal specifies that it is "under no obligation to do so."
Companies must offer "fair-market value" for the land and pay $250,000 to the government.
The Air Force has set a November 14 deadline for companies to submit proposals, with lease selections expected by January 2026.
Benjamin Kindt, the Air Force's chief of real estate development, said in a news release: "The Department of the Air Force is focused on swiftly, yet effectively, selecting an industry leader as a lease applicant."
The Air Force initiative is part of a broader federal effort to accelerate AI infrastructure development.
Following Trump's July executive order, the Department of Energy announced four federal site selections for AI data center development, including the Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky, and Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
Trump's executive order, titled "Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure," directed multiple federal agencies to streamline environmental reviews and permitting processes for what it defined as "Qualifying Projects"—data centers requiring more than 100 megawatts for AI operations.
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