ST. LOUIS (AP) - Nearly two centuries after its founding, Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis County is taking on a new mission as a military intelligence operation.

KSDK-TV reports the military post founded in 1832 has been picked by the Defense Department for a detachment that will gather intelligence on adversaries.

Lt. Col William Banwell of the Missouri National Guard says planners were seeking a Midwestern location because similar operations already exist on both coasts.

Soldiers have begun moving into Building 27 at the barracks site in south St. Louis County, but the facility needs renovations that will cost up to $3 million. Banwell says a variety of funding options are under consideration.

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