We're Safe, Secure, and Modern in Rabat and Vientiane

(Photo from Embassy Rabat website)

The good people at Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) had a very productive week, opening up two new Fortress Embassies, in Rabat, Morocco, and Vientiane, Laos. They are the 118th and 119th to be completed since 1999 under the Capital Security Construction Program.

OBO's press releases give the bare-bones details of these new projects.

U.S. Embassy Rabat:

The new multi-building complex provides employees with a safe, secure, and modern workplace. The campus is situated on a site of just under 8 acres, on King Mohammed IV Road, approximately 3 miles from the Rabat city center. With a project budget of $181 million, it includes a Chancery, a U.S. Marine Security Guard residence, and a service/utility building.

U.S. Embassy Vientiane:

The new multi-building complex provides employees with a safe, secure, and modern workplace. The campus is situated on a 7.4-acre site in a neighborhood south of downtown Vientiane, on the road leading to the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River ... With a project budget of $145 million, it includes a Chancery, a U.S. Marine Security Guard residence, a parking structure, and a utility building.

I see the OBO press office has changed the generic new embassy description from "safe, secure, and functional" to "safe, secure, and modern." Okay, modern it is.

The two new embassy complexes campuses sound very similar in size and composition, and both are located not too far from their city centers. And the prices are pretty good, too; not many new complexes campuses have cost less than $200 million lately.

Let's give credit where credit is due. Kudos, OBO!