Introduction
The 2005 Base
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process is almost complete. It is up
to Congress to finish the race toward a better military, stronger
civilian economy, and stronger America. The PDF file contains a
compilation of The Heritage Foundation's research on the 2005 BRAC
round. The publication argues that base closures are important
for military modernization and fiscal responsibility and that,
furthermore, base closings can create opportunities for private
economic development. Congress should focus on efficiently and
effectively protecting the United States, not on saving specific
bases.
Why
the Pentagon Needs to Close Bases
BRAC is one of the most
important-and controversial-issues affecting the future health of
the armed forces, and it is critical to U.S. national security. It
balances national defense priorities, supports the Pentagon's
military modernization objective, saves the Department of Defense
billions of dollars each year, and creates opportunities for
private economic development.
BRAC
recommendations are made in conjunction with clearly defined
selection criteria. Future mission capabilities and the impact on
operations are the list's overriding considerations, but economic
impact is also measured. The fact is that conditions change,
affecting the utility of many bases and how individual bases
contribute to overall national security.
While the BRAC process
makes a major contribution to advancing the Pentagon's larger
transformation objective, there is no doubt that the closure or
realignment of a base, with the accompanying economic
considerations, makes for contentious political and public debate.
Nonetheless, BRAC is necessary because it:
- Advances the Pentagon's
military modernization objective. BRAC is an essential
part of recalibrating U.S. basing infrastructure to reflect
America's ever-changing national security requirements. It is also
about changing how the Department of Defense supports troops,
acquires hardware, repairs materiel, manages its personnel, and
fights wars. Base closures and realignment allow resources to be
focused on creating the military's infrastructure to support a 21st
century military.
- Promotes Fiscal
Responsibility. The previous four BRAC
rounds have saved a total of roughly $17 billion and are now saving
about $3 billion annually. The Defense Department estimates that
this round will generate savings of approximately $48 billion over
the next 20 years. In an environment of increasingly scarce
resources, the Defense Department should be able to reinvest these
savings in other programs and operations.
- Creates opportunities
for private economic development. The first few years
after a base closure or realignment may be extremely difficult for
an affected area. However, community leadership, planning, and
federal assistance have helped communities adapt to base closings
and realignments. With the many successes in diverse communities
across the country, areas affected by the current BRAC round should
draw on the experiences of these communities to develop a strong
post-BRAC economic vitalization plan.
Strategic Move
Forward
BRAC is part of a
larger move toward an improved U.S. military and more vibrant local
economies. Congress should make BRAC decisions based on national
security requirements, not political considerations. This packet
outlines the reasons why Congress should not act to reject the BRAC
list.
Alane
Kochems