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The Defense Department has recommended closing 33 major military bases in this year's Base Realignment and Closure round.

The Pentagon's proposal also includes realigning 29 major facilities, and closing or realigning hundreds of smaller military locations.

In total, Defense proposed to move 133,769 military personnel and 84,801 civilians out of bases slated for closure. At the same time, 122,987 service members and 66,578 civilians would be shifted to bases slated to gain personnel.

For a full list of BRAC decisions by state, click here.

According to the Associated Press, the major closures include Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, which would lose more than 2,700 jobs, the Naval Station in Ingleside, Texas, costing more than 2,100 jobs, and Fort McPherson in Georgia, costing nearly 4,200 jobs.

AP reported that other major bases - including the Army's Fort Bliss in Texas, the Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland - would see gains, because they would absorb troops from bases slated for closure.

Rumsfeld told reporters at a media briefing Thursday that only 5 to 10 percent of military bases would be closed, a number far smaller than the 20 to 25 percent figure once openly touted by Defense officials. In past BRAC rounds, an average of 21 percent of bases were closed or realigned.

Rumsfeld said the relatively small number of bases targeted for closure was the result of a recent review of overseas military facilities that resulted in a plan to move 70,000 troops back to the United States and a "decision to move activities from leased space into owned facilities."

The 2005 base closing list, if adopted by the independent Base Realignment and Closure Commission, Congress and the president, will result total savings over 20 years of almost $49 billion, Pentagon officials said. Adding in changes from closing overseas bases and bringing troops back to the United States brings the total to $64.2 billion.

The nine-member Base Realignment and Closure commission will begin reviewing the list 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.

COMMENTS

• The estimated savings from closure is ridiculous and done in a totally improper manner. The DoD says there will be a savings of 49 billion dollars over ten years. Bull! It takes DoD on average at least ten years to close the bases. Next, DoD does not consider present value. For example, they closed McClellan AFB in California in the last BRAC round. That great decision accelerated billions of dollars of environmental expense to cleanup the base. Until the cleanup is completed (not in my life time) the base will require a staff for safety and security - a cost that the closure people never took into consideration. DoD does its savings estimates in a most unusual way and never considers the acceleration of costs because of closure. The truth is that we the taxpaying public cannot afford the savings the DoD proposes. I suggest that Congress reduce the DoD and service budgets by the amount of the savings projected from all the rounds of BRAC. Then you will see the DoD scream bloody murder because their savings numbers are almost pure fantasy. taxpayer Posted May 16, 2005 6:26 AM