TOPICS
TOPICS
Base closing recommendations expected Friday
Military communities will hear by the end of this week whether their their bases are slated to be closed or realigned, according to sources familiar with the process.
The Defense Department is set to announce on Friday how many of the nation's 425 military installations it wants to close or realign. An independent, nine-member Base Realignment and Closure Commission will then begin reviewing those recommendations next week and give its final recommendations to the president by no later than Sept. 8. The president and Congress then must accept or reject the list in its entirety.
The commission will hear testimony from Defense officials involved with the BRAC process next week, including: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers on Monday; top uniformed and civilian leaders from the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps on Tuesday; top uniformed and civilian leaders from the Army on Wednesday; and senior defense officials on Wednesday and Thursday.
Senior Defense officials briefed reporters this week on details of the BRAC process, but declined to say when the final list would be announced or offer any indications of how many or what kinds of bases would be on it.
The Pentagon is required to publish its recommendations in the Federal Register no later than Monday, May 16, but the announcement is expected sooner to avoid leaks. Congressional sources and BRAC lobbyists say lawmakers have been told to expect base closing announcements Friday morning.
Philip Grone, deputy undersecretary for installations and environment, said at the briefing that the closings will further several Defense goals including accelerating military transformation, maximizing joint utilization of military bases and eliminating unneeded bases so more money can go toward warfighting. The Pentagon says it has saved billions from four previous rounds of base closings in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 that closed 97 major installations and realigned 55 other major bases.
Grone dismissed earlier reports suggesting that one in four military bases could be closed or realigned. He says studies show that Defense has 24 percent extra space on bases, but that some of that will remain in case it's needed for wartime "surge" operations.
Michael Wynne, undersecretary of Defense for installations and environment, said that in past rounds, the BRAC commission backed about 85 percent of the Pentagon's recommendations. He says the Defense Department expects that even fewer will be overturned in this round.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said she would file a federal lawsuit on behalf of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich if any of the state's National Guard bases are included in the closure list.
Illinois has Air National Guard bases in Springfield and Peoria. Madigan and other BRAC opponents contend that the federal law prevents closure of National Guard bases in a state without the consent of its governor.
That reading of the law is disputed by BRAC supporters who contend the commission has the authority to close bases.
-- CongressDaily contributed to this report.
COMMENTS
- I was reading an editorial in the paper yesterday that made a good point. During past BRACs, the communities that used their resources to plan for redeveloping the land and facilities after the base closing instead of fighting a battle recovered considerably faster on average. When a base is on the BRAC listing, it's at least eighty-five percent likely to close no matter what the community does about it. The odds are expected to be even higher this time around that a facility reccommended by the BRAC will close. Yes, the BRAC is devastating to communities and lives in the short term. But, recovery is possible and proper planning can result in an even larger tax base than existed when a facility was active. Things change. The military is going to change no matter how much kicking and screaming there is. Politicians know that communities can recover from a base closure. But, that isn't neccesarily going to happen before the next election. Their interest is in the short term even if it isn't in the long term interest of a community. So, don't let your elected officials manipulate you into believing that spending a bunch of money lobbying to save a base from closing is going to make any difference. You might as well flush the money down the drain as to try and "save" a base on the BRAC listing. Invest your resources wisely. Robert M. Posted May 12, 2005 10:46 PM
GovExec Live!
Want more details about the Defense Department's 2005 round of base closings? Join George Cahlink, Government Executive's Defense reporter, from noon to 1 p.m. on Wed., May 18, when he will discuss which installations made the Pentagon's list and what happens next for the locations recommended for closure. Submit your questions now or during the discussion.
