The U.S. Secret Service is proposing to build what it refers to as a defense training facility on a 43-acre site adjoining its James J. Rowley Training Center at 9200 Powder Mill Road, east of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The training center is likely a replica of the White House.
The training center is south of the South Laurel Drive and Snowden Pond neighborhoods in South Laurel, near the Patuxent Research Refuge.
A notice posted by the U.S. Corps of Engineers said the 43 acres are currently tree-covered. Maps accompanying the notice show proposed buildings, roads, a circular drive and a north and south lawn. The notice does not describe the exact function of the facility.
In April 2025, the Washington Examiner reported that the Trump administration planned to build a replica of the White House on the Laurel site, based on Fox News interviews administration officials. Constructing a replica has been contemplated since 2015, also according to the Washington Examiner.
Also in 2025, the U.S. military used a full-size replica of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s Caracas safehouse in order to train to seize him and transport him to the United States, according to Reuters.
The army did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation that the facility will be a White House replica.
The public comment period for this project, originally Jan. 8, has been extended to Feb. 7, 2026. Information and link to public notice are now available here: www.nab.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/Public-Notice-View/Article/4374933/pn-25-44-extension-nab-2024-60845-m52-us-secret-service-saf-jjrtc-defense-train/
This article was updated on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.