Administration Again Seeks Base Closings

The White House has again called on Congress to authorize a new round of DoD base closings, which like prior rounds could result in the loss or displacement of many thousands of DoD civilian employee jobs. The administration objected to language in the DoD authorization bill up for Senate voting (S-1197) to allow another round only after a formal review of the overseas base structure. That language—which could put off domestic base closings for years pending that review—had been seen as a potential middle ground between the Pentagon’s request to create a new base closings commission and the House’s position against further closings. The administration said the Pentagon already is reviewing its overseas facilities ‘and the results of that analysis will inform future infrastructure decisions. However, the effort to configure our overseas infrastructure in a more efficient way should not prevent the authorization of another round of BRAC analysis for domestic bases. . . Without authorization for a new round of BRAC, DoD may not properly align the military’s infrastructure with the needs of the evolving force structure, which is critical to ensuring that limited resources are available for the highest priorities of the Armed Forces and national security,’ a statement said. Congress has rejected several similar requests since the most recent round of closings was completed two years ago, citing the disruption and disappointing savings of that round and prior rounds.