Military value will be the focus in the final selection
criteria to be used in the 2005 round of base realignment
and closures, the Defense Department’s American Forces Press
Service has announced.
Military value means a base’s ability to contribute to
Department of Defense mission capabilities and operational
readiness, according to Philip Grone, Principal Assistant
Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Installations and
Environment.
The final selection criteria will be based in part on
potential costs, savings, community support, and
environmental considerations. Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld will make final recommendations on base
realignment and closures to an independent commission in
May 2005, said the report.
There is no target number of base closings but on average
the commission puts excess capacity at around 23 percent,
though that does not necessarily translate to the
percentage of bases to be altered, the ASPS quoted Grone
as saying.