By Larry Jones
March 28, 2005

President George Bush nominated eight people with a military or defense department background to serve on the base closing commission March 15, which is formally known as the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). He had previously nominated former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi to head the nine-member independent commission. He was confirmed last week by the Senate. If the other eight members are also confirmed, the commission will begin reviewing in mid-May a list from Defense Department recommending base closings, consolidations and realignments.

Department of Defense officials say all 425 domestic bases are under review as the department looks for ways to reduce overall capacity. During this last round of closings the goal is to reduce capacity by as much as 25 percent, which would eliminate the extra capacity the armed services say they no longer need in the post cold war era. In the past, four rounds of closings have been held in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995. According to the General Accounting Office, these closings reduced overall capacity by 20 percent and saved the federal government a total of $28.9 billion through December 2003, and $7 billion annually after that.

Because base closures have a significant impact on state and local economies, governors, mayors and other elected leaders are expected to fight to keep their bases open and preserve the related jobs and businesses. In a recent statement Defense Secretary William Rumsfield said the impact of base closings may not be as bad this time around because the Defense Department's plan to bring 70, 000 troops and 100,000 dependents back from Europe and place them in U.S. bases. In some cases, he said domestic bases may even be expanded.

Significant dates in the base closing process include:

• May 16 — Defense Department submits list of recommended base closings to BRAC and Congress.
• July 1 — GAO issues an analysis of list to defense committees in Congress.
• September 8 — BRAC send its list of recommendations to the President.
• September23 — President Bush must accept or reject the list in its entirety.
• October 20 — BRAC must issue revised list if the President has objections.
• November 7 — President Bush must forward BRAC's revised list to Congress.

Congress will have 45 legislative days (or before adjournment) to disapprove BRAC's list or it will become binding.