Base Closing Fight Ahead

In a move that could be the first stage of protracted wrangling over closing Defense Department bases, a House Armed Services subcommittee has voted to delay by two years the facilities review that currently is scheduled to produce a set of recommendations by a special base closings commission next year. The measure also would impose certain new standards to be used when facilities are weighed for closing; a bid to stop the base closing process entirely may follow. Any restrictions or delays in the process are sure to draw the opposition of the Defense Department, which has pushed for years for base closings, arguing that it still has about one-fourth too much capacity and that closings would free up money for higher priority purposes.