Camp Roberts, the California National Guard base that straddles San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties near Paso Robles, is slated to receive a $34.8 million, 43,000-square-foot satellite communications facility.

Almost all California National Guard troops who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq passed through Camp Roberts for training. In addition to shooting ranges and assault courses, the 40,000-acre camp also houses a defense satellite communications station.

The $34.8 million contract for a new facility was awarded to Watts/Webcor A JV of Honolulu, according to a release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project includes a 43,000-square-foot communication operations center and related administrative and repair buildings, the Corps said. Construction is expected to wrap up by October 2013.

The satellite operations are tucked several miles into the base. Camp Roberts was built up during World War II, and dilapidated barracks from that era are highly visible from Highway 101.

The California National Guard leased Camp Roberts from the U.S. Army in 1971 and has come under scrutiny for the condition of the barracks and other facilities it is charged with overseeing, according to an investigation published by the Sacramento Bee earlier this year. The satellite communications site, however, is maintained by the U.S. Army.