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 The Pentagon estimates it could save over $3 billion annually if it closed unneeded military bases, and Congress has agreed to authorize an additional round of base closures in 2005. “New Beginnings,” a report by CDI Senior Analyst Christopher Hellman and Taxpayers for Common Sense provides a clear analysis of the necessity of base closures and examines the economic impacts of closures on communities. The report is now available on the web at:
http://www.taxpayer.net/nationalsecurity/learnmore/BRAC/index.htm
The White House
U.S. General Accounting Office
Department of Defense
Congress (Congressional Record)
State and Local Government/Commissions. No contact number
Inside the Pentagon - No web site. - Contact tel. (703) 416-8530
Defense Week
Armed Forces Journal International
Defense News
The White House
"President Names Members to the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission" Military Bases--Revised Cost and Saving Estimates for 1988 and 1991 Closures and Realignments, GAO/NSIAD-93-161, March 1993. Analysis of DOD's Recommendations and Selection Process for Closures and Realignments, GAO/NSIAD-93-173, April 1993. Challenges in Identifying and Implementing Closure Recommendations, GAO T NSIAD-95-107, February 23, 1995. Defense Infrastructure: Costs Projected to Increase Between 1997 and 2001, GAO/NSIAD-96-174, May 31, 1996 Update on the Status of Bases Closed in 1988, 1991, and 1993, GAO/NSIAD-96-149, August
1996.
"Background Briefing, BRAC" "Secretary Perry Recommends Closing, Realigning 146 Bases" Testimony of Josua Gotbaum before the House Committee on National Security, the Military
Installations and Facilities subcommittee, February 23, 1995.
Defense Conversion: A Road Map for Communities "A Base Closure Success Story," "Kaminski Sees Possible Need For Several More BRAC Rounds" "Privatization Key to Preserving Industry and Jobs" "BRAC Attack" "Break Out of the Base Closure Doldrums; Military Conversion to Civilian Use is Doomed
Without a Creative Solution" "It's Closing Time for Base Commission" "Playing Politics? The Charge is Baseless" "Angry Clinton Accepts List of Base Cutbacks" "Pentagon Is Assured on California Jobs" "Compromise Plan on Closing of Air Force Base in California May Be Near" "Defense Jobs at Risk: Bases and units ordered closed or realigned by the Defense Base Closure
and Realignment Commission and expected to be approved by President Clinton" "Base Closing Compromise Possible" "Base Closings Trail Military Budget Cuts" "Panel's Recommendations On Military Installations" "Commission Calls for Closure of 3 Bases in Md., Va." "Base Closure Panel's Calif. Target Rattles Air Force, White House" and "Ex-Senator 'Al the
Pal' Dixon's New Unpopular Job" "Commission Expands List of Facilities to be Cut" "Base Closure Commission to Review Nearly 30 More Bases" "Pentagon Lists Base Closings" "Navy Offered Housing Deal To Remain in Crystal City" "Southern Md. Counties Engaged In Battle Over Military Base Cuts" "Freshmen Focus on Bases May Squeeze Modernization" "Number of Base Closings to be Smaller, Perry Says" "California Seeks to Fend Off Further Closings of Military Bases" "Using muscle to save Bases" "Biggest round of base-closings to come in 1995" "President Signs Pryor Bill To Help Base-Closure Communities, While Pentagon Issues Regs on
Sale of Former Base Sites" "Cheating on Base Closings" "It Ain't Over for Charleston" "Study Says Military Bases Survive Plan to Shut Them" "Congress Approves Pryor-Feinstein Bill to Exempt Closed Military Bases From McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act" Excerpts from January 22, 1997 Confirmation Hearings for William Cohen to be U.S. Secretary of Defense SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R-OK): All right. The last questions having to do with the BRAC system. I will be chairing the subcommittee that will oversee that, the Readiness Subcommittee, and I've heard you say many times your concern over what -- that perhaps we're trying to circumvent the recommendations of the BRAC committee, which was meant to be free of political interference. And I would only ask you the question that on this whole issue of privatization in place, if that is in fact privatizing excess capacity, would you be committed to reducing the cost of operating public depots by reducing the excess infrastructure at these depots in accordance with the BRAC recommendations? MR. COHEN: Well, as I recall, the BRAC recommendations, they called for the closure of these two facilities or privatizing their operations. And what the president recommended at that time last year was to privatize in place, and I believe using those as -- those two examples as a pilot project as such to see whether that could work. I obviously will review those situation in the coming months.... SEN. INHOFE: ....I didn't get around to -- the whole idea of the BRAC process is something that I think we're concerned with the integrity of that process. A lot of people don't realize what communities and what states and what installations go through and the anguish that is there. And my hope has always been -- in fact, when I was first running for this office, I was saying that in our state of Oklahoma I was going to see to it that there was not po1itical influence involved in the decisions and recommendations that came from this very elaborate process that so many people participate in, and was criticized for that. And as it turned out, you know, we fared very well as a result of it. And I really have a strong belief -- and it's not a parochial belief -- that we should keep political hands out of that system so that we can accomp1ish something. We recognize the savings that we anticipated are not there. We know that clean-up costs have been -- far exceeded what our expectations were.But I know that in the past -- and I didn't get around to this last time because we were running out of time -- you've made statements that -- such as: The purpose of the BRAC was to reduce excess capacity and to move that excess capacity into consolidated functions. But now, after BRAC '95 process, suddenly we come up with privatization in place, and so it is difficult for me to see this is anything but a circumvention of BRAC itself. Now, that's a statement that I agree with so strongly that you have made, and my question would be: Do you still agree with that statement? MR. COHEN: Well, obviously there were factors involved -- California in particular, and Texas. This was not something that was a partisan decision on the part of the administration. We had very strong objections by the Texas delegation, represented here in the Senate, on what should be done. There were about 6,000 people involved in that decision, Senator Inhofe. I have been through the BRAC process. I know what has happened in northern Maine as a result of that. So I know the anguish that you spoke about before. My belief is that we should use the BRAC process to eliminate excess capacity and to make sure that we're achieving the taxpayers' best interests. In this particular case, the president decided that they were going to try something called Privatization In Place. We'll have to wait and see whether or not that in fact achieves the result. The BRAC commission said either close this and transfer, or use privatization. The Privatization in Place is a pilot-type of project, as I understand it. I had serious reservations about it because I felt that we were not going to achieve the kind of savings that were necessary and might place other depots in jeopardy should there be future BRACs, that they would not be operating at maximum efficiency.So it was of concern to me. Obviously I still have concerns about it. For more information on Base Closures, please email Dan Smith.
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