Defense Department Moves Ahead on Base Closings The Defense Department has released draft criteria for deciding which military bases will be shut down, kicking off an effort that could lead to the closing of as many as 100 domestic bases starting next year. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wants to close one-fourth of the nation’s 425 domestic military bases, according to a report by military analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, VA. The draft selection criteria for base closings, published in the Dec. 23 Federal Register, say the most important factor is “military value.” But the department said it will also consider potential costs and savings, the economic impact on communities and environmental impact. (See Separate Story.) The bases to be closed will be chosen in the fall of 2005, although some key decisions will be made this year. Members of Congress, governors and local political leaders are already gearing up for a fight to save their local installations. Many states and localities have hired Washington lobbyists or consultants to protect their interests. “Rumsfeld has told associates he wants to shutter 25% of military base capacity in a single round of base closures,” Thompson wrote. “…and few states would be left unscathed.” That’s more closures than the previous four rounds combined; 97 major bases have been shut down since 1988. The Los Angeles Times reported in October that Rumsfeld would submit a plan to close as many as one-third of Army bases, one-quarter of Air Force bases and a smaller fraction of Marine Corps and Navy bases A Defense Department spokesman said no decisions have been made. But Pentagon officials have estimated that 20% to 25% of domestic base capacity would not be needed even in the event of a major war. In February, as part of its 2005 budget, the department will issue an inventory of its bases around the world and an estimate of potential savings from closures and realignments. The Pentagon announced Jan. 6 that it had asked commanders to submit information about their bases. At a news briefing, Rumsfeld said the data was routine, such as "how many square feet of this and how many...of that." Because closing bases is politically radioactive, Congress created a process that prevents members from trading votes to save their local installations. By May 16, 2005, Rumsfeld must present a list of bases to be closed or realigned. A majority of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission, appointed by Congress and the president, can take any base off the hit list submitted by the Defense secretary, but they are not allowed to add more bases. The commission must submit its list to the White House by Sept. 8, 2005. If President Bush accepts the list, the closures become law in 45 days unless Congress blocks it. Congress must vote up or down on the entire list; it cannot choose individual bases to be saved. For the first time, a separate commission will review U.S. bases overseas under a provision in the 2004 defense appropriations act. Its sponsor, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), said in a statement, “Overseas facilities should be examined just as closely as those here at home. It would be pointless to scale back or close domestic bases that could be needed for troops returning from outdated facilities abroad.” The Lexington Institute’s Thompson wrote, “Rumsfeld views elimination of excess capacity as part of military ‘transformation’ — creating a leaner fighting force that deploys money with the same precision and efficiency that it employs smart bombs.” Pentagon officials have emphasized the need to combine operations that are now performed by each service separately. In a 2002 memo, Rumsfeld said a “primary objective (is) to examine and implement opportunities for greater joint activity.” One example cited by Pentagon officials is pilot training; they are exploring whether Air Force, Navy and Marine pilots could be trained together at a single location or whether some of the training could be done by contractors. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John Jumper has suggested combining some reserve and national guard units with active-duty units and closing reserve bases. The individual services’ repair depots might be combined, although the depots are a congressional sacred cow. That focuses attention on the three depots that repair tracked vehicles: the Anniston, AL, Army Depot; the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, TX; and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, GA. A General Accounting Office report last year, before the Iraq war, found that Red River and Anniston were each operating at less than 80% capacity. Some communities looked closely at the $9.3 billion military construction appropriation for 2004, reasoning that if DOD is spending money on improvements at a base this year, it is not likely to shut down that facility next year. But Pentagon officials say: Don’t believe it. In a December 2002 briefing, the department’s point man on the issue, Raymond DuBois, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, told reporters, “All installations are going to be judged equally…All installations are on the table.” On the other hand, some bases received no construction funds this year. According to Congress Daily, they include Bolling Air Force Base in Washington; Moody Air Force Base, GA; Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA; Hanscomb Air Force Base, MA; and several Army National Guard centers. With word spreading that the 2005 round of closures could be huge, some members of Congress are becoming restless. In the 2004 Defense Authorization Act, Congress required the defense secretary to maintain sufficient infrastructure to support operational surges needed to meet future threats, not just present threats, according to a statement by the House Armed Services Committee. Several other amendments have been offered this year to limit, delay or block the 2005 round, but the White House has threatened to veto any such provision. As an indication of the depth of congressional concern, an amendment that would have blocked the 2005 round won the support of 42 of the 100 senators last spring.