NEWS: Pentagon Unveils Major Base Realignment and Closure Plan

The Pentagon has recommended closing over 150 installations, including 33 major bases, within the United States as part of a plan to streamline military base expenditures. Among the bases included are Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, the Naval Submarine Base in Connecticut, and the Army's Fort Bliss in Texas. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that the closures will save the Pentagon around $48.8 billion dollars over the next 20 years. The recommendations will need to be approved by a panel before the list is finalized.



Full List of Bases Affected: PDF File

A lot of communities will be affected by these base closures, especially smaller ones where the base is the major source of local revenue. But our military should not be a welfare or social programs for certain communities and if it will help the Pentagon streamline its operations and save money, it will be a good thing.

Related News Links:
abcnews.go.com
nytimes.com


[edit on 5/13/2005 by djohnsto77]

Good find

California got hit but not too bad. Its interesting to see that the all but abandoned Concord Depot (lots of ammunition shipped from there during the first Gulf War) was not closed. This begs the question, are the rumors of plutonium contamination true?

My dad was a civilian engineer for the navy after spending years in the private sector and one of the many projects was base clean up. the level of contamination at some fo these bases is fierce to say the least.

Fred, could you please tell more how the plutinium contamination came about?

Was there a leak from some of the reactors powering the vessels?

I know an easyer way to save even more money every single year!!
Stop invading other country's.

Can I have his job now?

So let me get this straight. They are closing down alot of bases ot save 40 billion dollars? And how much has the war in Iraq cost? 100, 200 billion and counting? The article says it will take years for the savings to be realized. I find it ironic that in the course of 1 and a half years we have spent over 4 times what the government wants to save in its military over 5 years. Military Intilligence, the worlds hugest oxymoron.


I hate the schmucks running this country.

I think the most interesting aspect of this story is the way it's being reported. Some outlets are running headlines claiming 30 bases are closing, others 50, another's headline proclaimed 130 and 12 major, another I saw claimed 150.

It's good we have the complete list posted here, but how many good Americans only read, see, and hear what their party wants them to?

Just a question...

And how many people on both sides will loudly proclaim the truth, as reported by their favorite headline that they read on the way to work?

Just a silly question...

How many people use headlines as their source of news? The answer might surprise some people...

If I had that particular statistic, it would surprise me...

I made it sound like Ft. Bliss in Texas is going to be closed in the introduction, but actually that base will benefit from the realignment and grow in size. I can't edit it now that it's already upgraded.

We can close these bases because there's no one here-they're all off making the world safe for snarky folks such as yourself. Oh, that's right, Ameaica and Bush started the whole thing, I keep forgetting.

I know, we can just disband the military all together..the founding fathers really didn't want a standing army anyways.

What's interesting is around here in mind/northern CA, I see the same weenies who are screaming about "too much military spending" complaining about the military closing their local base. What do these guys think military spending *is*? It runs bases, pays wages, buys weapons, that are sold by people who pay wages, and apparently enough of this money's making it back to the economy that everyone is suddenly "concerned".

One or the other folks, this "cut the budget" out of one side of the mouth and "save our pork-barrel base" out of the other-does nothing but prove the point of the intellectual elite that we really *are* too stupid to have voice in government.

Originally posted by thematrix
I know an easyer way to save even more money every single year!!
Stop invading other country's.

Can I have his job now?

Without turning this into a political battle it seems the republicans have stolen the democrats playbook. Closes the bases here and weaken REAL national security so we can spend billions upon billions of dollars chasing a ghost around the deserts of Iraq. How do you strengthen national security by weakening it?

Red Flag, Red Flag.

So we go stur up things overseas and then we close bases. Hello. Are we trying to leave ourselves vulnerable?

What's the whole idea to do once these bases are closed? Invite the NWO in and take over? If the NWO truly exists? What is the whole plan?

What am I supposed to think? I don't support war unless absolutely necessary, but you don't leave your bare shiny asses glowing in the sun for everyone to shoot at, while you are screaming, "I'm over here! No protection over here, come on over!"

Troy

Creepy, isn't it? No one wants to save the US. Not the Republicans, not the Democrats, not the Media and not Big Business.

and the sheeple follow one or many of these powers. Defending their points of view with almost religious fervor. Accusing each other of weakening and/or hating America.

The creepy part is, that I think they're *all* correct. Each is out to disband the system of checks and balances, of culture and of social structure, that is the USA.

Originally posted by cybertroy
Red Flag, Red Flag.

So we go stur up things overseas and then we close bases. Hello. Are we trying to leave ourselves vulnerable?

What's the whole idea to do once these bases are closed? Invite the NWO in and take over? If the NWO truly exists? What is the whole plan?

What am I supposed to think? I don't support war unless absolutely necessary, but you don't leave your bare shiny asses glowing in the sun for everyone to shoot at, while you are screaming, "I'm over here! No protection over here, come on over!"

Troy

We made it!

Southern Illinois largest employer, Scott AFB in Belleville Illinois will remain open and gain additional military operations and duties.

Scott survives Pentagon cuts, St. Louis could lose jobs

www.kmov.com...

Thank You Rummy and GWB!!!!!!

This is the fifth round of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure); the last was in 1995.

I'm going to say this slowly so you can let it sink in.

This....

is....

not....

new....

Blaming the Bush Administration for something that was likely going to happen anyway is....stupid.

"Our current arrangements, designed for the Cold War, must give way to the new demands of the war against extremism and other evolving 21st century challenges"

This is a quote from Rummy, now I know how you all believe Rummy is worse than evil and all, but.............he's right.

Originally posted by SIRR1
We made it!

Southern Illinois largest employer, Scott AFB in Belleville Illinois will remain open and gain additional military operations and duties.

Scott survives Pentagon cuts, St. Louis could lose jobs

www.kmov.com...

Thank You Rummy and GWB!!!!!!

Thank god! Had they of closed Scott AFB it would have destroyed the economy around here. *whew*

Originally posted by Kidfinger
So let me get this straight. They are closing down alot of bases ot save 40 billion dollars? And how much has the war in Iraq cost? 100, 200 billion and counting? The article says it will take years for the savings to be realized. I find it ironic that in the course of 1 and a half years we have spent over 4 times what the government wants to save in its military over 5 years. Military Intilligence, the worlds hugest oxymoron.

And yet... "President Bush is expected to sign an $82 billion military spending bill soon that will, in part, create electronically readable, federally approved ID cards for Americans. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the package--which includes the Real ID Act--on Thursday."
earthlink.com.com...

What are our priorities again? I'm confused...

Although closings are nothing new, priorities & politics are detected here. From states selected to special interest misappropriations & gross overfunding in other areas. Also does much to deepen the already national divide & reveals the prevailing attitude of the ruling party these days with their common mantra "great for me, sucks to be you".

Dont be blind! The reason for closure is SURELY not money! Its so they can use the bases as camps to hold us when the NWO takes over!!!

wtf are they doing to our military?

For what it is worth, my analysis/observations of the BRAC list:
1) I was stunned that Los Angeles AFB was not closed. LA AFB is on some prime real estate along the coast in CA. There really isn't anything going on there that couldn't be done somewhere else. AF personnel that I know *hate* the prospect of being sent there because the cost of living is so totally outrageous.
2) The large number of Defense Finance and Accounting Service locations that were closed and/or realigned.
3) The large number of service reserve centers to be closed.
4) Hanscom AFB is actually going to gain people. Again, this is a base that many expected to be closed because there isn't anything going on there that can't be done somewhere else.
5) Brooks City Base is going to be closed - I figured that when they made it a "city base" instead of a regular base that they were making it immune to BRAC. Guess again, I guess.

Based on these observations, I think that one of the BRAC commission's major goals was to consolidate support groups (like DFAS) into fewer locations. Even though adminstrative missions like accounting, etc. can be done anywhere - they don't have to be done everywhere.

Just like the reservists are getting screwed in Iraq by ever increasing deployment periods that aren't applied to regular service guys, the reservist centers are paying for the fact that they don't have the political clout that regular service bases enjoy. It looks like the days of every major city having its own reservist center are over. What remains to be seen is how the military is going to cope with the aftermath of this.

It certainly appears that the hard political decisions about closing major bases has been kicked down the road. Yeah, they closed some big bases, but not nearly as many as people were expecting. Fears about closures at Hanscom, Ft. Belvoir, Crane, LA, Kirtland, Whiteman, Ft. Riley, Eglin, etc. were unfounded.

In any case, the next 6 months should be very interesting.

Borders wide open and now the closing of bases....Homeland Insecurity is broadening itself...

Do you feel protected?

Do you feel like our government cares for us?

I bet not many will answer these questions...Only a retard would think its all for our own sake.