The U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth is the military’s only maximum-security facility. But that fact alone does not justify adding 270 suspected foreign terrorists to its inmate population.

U.S. Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, both Kansas Republicans, have a clear fix on this issue. They recently distributed a letter to their colleagues arguing against any attempt to move the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the Northeast Kansas facility.

“We would be placing Americans in harm’s way,” Sen. Roberts says.

He’s right, of course. Detention and other punishments are prescribed for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Nowhere in that document is it suggested that it is appropriate to house a member of the military with or in close proximity to those who have taken up the fight against our country and its ideals.

Not only that, but the guards and other military personnel who administer the barracks have plenty to occupy their attention without adding suspected terrorists to their charge. Another point is that the barracks simply are ill-suited physically for this mission, lacking both the necessary space and security features. In the event of an after-hours medical emergency, the suspects would need to be transported through the city of Leavenworth for medical care.

“It would be a logistical nightmare, costing the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars to make Fort Leavenworth even partially compliant with standards at Guantanamo,” Sen. Roberts says. The barracks currently hold 438 military prisoners convicted at courts-martial. These include enlisted men with sentences of more than seven years, commissioned officers and anyone held on an offense involving national security.

Let’s face it, Guantanamo Bay is destined for the chopping block. It has been beset by allegations of human rights abuses, and last month the Supreme Court said detainees could challenge their detention in federal court. Both major party presidential candidates have pledged to shut down the facility.

That strong support means something likely will happen after the elections. But any plan to close Guantanamo Bay must not add new stress and dangers to the lives of those on base at Fort Leavenworth.