No Renewal of Closings Commission Likely

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., has said that he and top Pentagon officials have discussed reports of a potential continuation of the recently concluded base closings commission and have agreed that there is “no logic for such an extension.” Warner said he would oppose any legislation or other efforts to revive the panel, which finished its work last year, resulting in recommendations—since approved—to close 22 major facilities and close or realign hundreds of other facilities, many of them small offices. Implementation plans are to be in place soon, and implementation must start no later than September 2007 and must be completed by 2011. There is a general expectation in Congress that no further closing rounds will be held until that process is well along, likely meaning at least several years, although some recent media reports suggested that the recently completed commission might be revived in the near future.