Pentagon begins to gather base-closing data

The Defense Department is asking military installations to gather information that it will use in deciding which bases to close in 2005.

In a statement Tuesday, Pentagon officials said the "data call" is one of many steps in the base realignment and closure process. All installations in the United States and its territories were asked for the same information, such as size and type of facilities, so that all receive equitable treatment, according to the statement.

The Pentagon will use the information in making recommendations to an independent, bipartisan panel that will report to Congress on which bases to close. Defense used the same process for shutting down 55 bases and realigning 97 others in four previous Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) rounds from 1988 to 1997. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said the upcoming round could be larger than all the other rounds combined. He has earmarked billions of dollars in expected savings from closures for military transformation efforts.

The information collected from the bases will not be released until the Pentagon makes its recommendations to the panel in spring 2005. In the past, the panel has approved 85 percent of the closures or realignments recommended by Defense.

The data call is the latest sign that the Pentagon is ramping up efforts for BRAC 2005. Last month, Defense published the criteria it will use in deciding which bases to close. As in past rounds, the military value of installations will be the primary consideration.

Next month, Defense officials will deliver the administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget to Congress, including an outline of the number of forces and amount of infrastructure the department forecasts will be needed for the next 20 years. That plan will guide the military services in determining which bases to recommend for closure.