The Pentagon has proposed closing 33 major bases and
realigning 29 others throughout the United States, likely
meaning a loss of 29,000 military and civilian jobs in a
base realignment and closure maneuver it estimates — when
combined with anticipated savings from overseas
realignments – could save $64.2 billion over 20 years,
or $5.5 billion a year domestically. The up-front cost
of closing a total of some 150 facilities is estimated
at $24 billion.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld proposed removing
218,570 military and civilian positions from various
locations and adding 189,565 to others in a six-year
process starting in 2006.
The secretary’s recommendations went to the BRAC commission
on May 13, which will make an independent judgment, then
present a list to the President Bush in September. If he
approves the list, Congress would have 45 days to bar
the list in its entirety, or else the closings and
realignments go forward.
Major cuts included on the list were the Navy’s submarine
base in New London, Conn., 8,460 jobs including
contractors, and the Naval shipyard in Portsmouth,
Maine, 4,233 jobs.
Among numerous facilities slated to absorb personnel are
the Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., the Army’s Fort Bliss
in Texas and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, a state
that would gain 9,012 civilian positions overall.
The Little Rock Arkansas Air Force base would gain 3,898
personnel, and while Alaska’s Eilison Air Force base
would realign to jettison 3,240 military and civilian
personnel, it would add 200 contractors.
DoD said earlier BRAC rounds in 1998, 1991, 1993, and
1995 cut 21 percent of excess military infrastructure,
and said this year’s round could save about $5.5
billion a year.
“The department is recommending fewer major base closures
than had earlier been anticipated, due in part to the
return of tens of thousands of troops through our global
posture review, and also due to decisions to reduce
lease space by moving activities from lease space into
owned facilities,” Rumsfeld said.
The full list is available at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050513-3142.html
