Lloyd J. Austin III Secretary of Defence | Official website
President Biden has issued an order prohibiting the acquisition and necessitating the divestment of a cryptocurrency mining facility located within one mile of Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (F.E. Warren AFB). The directive also mandates the removal of certain improvements and equipment at the property by MineOne Partners Limited, which is primarily owned by nationals of the People's Republic of China; MineOne Cloud Computing Investment I L.P.; MineOne Data Center LLC; and MineOne Wyoming Data Center LLC (collectively known as MineOne), including their affiliates.
MineOne acquired the property in June 2022 and made modifications to facilitate specialized cryptocurrency mining operations near F.E. Warren AFB in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a strategic missile base that houses Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the Committee) reviewed and investigated this transaction under authorities granted by Congress in the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA) to cover real estate transactions near certain sensitive U.S. facilities, including F.E. Warren AFB.
The Department of Defense (DoD), a member of CFIUS, routinely assesses its military installations and their surrounding geographic scope through its annual review of Section 802 of FIRRMA to ensure appropriate application considering national security considerations. The DoD will continue to evaluate its military installations regularly to guarantee that listed sites are suitable.
Furthermore, DoD has established inter- and intra-departmental working groups to prioritize action within the Department and across the U.S. Government, incorporating civilian defense critical infrastructure risks into internal DoD risk management decisions. The relationships between DoD and state and local government leaders, as well as industry leaders, are crucial for securing a robust and resilient industrial base, thus ensuring a foundation for U.S. military advantage.
For communities with concerns about foreign activity adjacent to military installations, the DoD encourages them to communicate directly with their local installation's public affairs office. The public and these communities can also visit DoD's Global Investment and Economic Security website (OUSD A&S - Industrial Base Policy (businessdefense.gov)) to report any potential foreign investment that may pose a risk to national security and learn more about the work the office does.
