Although a decision on this year’s base closing package presumably will be made in the fall, the actual closing and realigning bases is a several-year process that doesn’t necessarily mean that each affected employee will be laid off. DoD has authority to offer early retirements and buyouts and has indicated that it would use that authority. In addition, the length of the process gives many employees time to find other jobs—either on their own or with government outplacement help—and in some cases employees are offered the chance to transfer along with work that is being consolidated elsewhere. Even with all those factors, though, the base closings process is a highly upsetting one for employees.