Posted on 11/09/2004 7:47:47 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, aiming to defend California's 62 military bases during a new round of Pentagon base closures beginning next year, appointed an 18-member council of defense consultants, retired military chiefs and business people Tuesday to coordinate the state's base retention effort.
The governor included 11 military and retired military officials in a panel to be co-chaired by Leon Panetta, former chief of staff to President Clinton, and Donna Tuttle, a former Commerce Department official in the Reagan administration.
As the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure strategy considers closing up to 100 bases nationally, California will compete with 425 military installations across the nation and other commissions equally determined to keep their bases and the billions of dollars in economic activity they represent.
"As California confronts this new BRAC round it is critical that our local communities, state leaders and congressional delegation maintains a united, coordinated front as we work to keep our military installations intact," Schwarzenegger said in a statement announcing the panel.
Panetta said the new commission will meet late this month or in early December.
"I think our job is to really do everything possible to hopefully maintain those bases, and if in fact, they're closed, to assist these communities in making a successful transition," he said. "Hopefully, California will not take the kind of hit it took in the last BRAC round. We frankly gave more than our share of military bases to that process and it cost us a lot of jobs."
In that round of 91 base closings nationally from 1988 to 1995, California lost 29 military installations, a major factor contributing to economic downturns in several communities across the state. Those closures ranged from March Air Force Base and El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Southern California to Mather Air Force Base and Fort Ord Army Base in Northern California.
The governor said the commission will advise local, state and congressional representatives on base issues, recommend strategies and "develop tactics to strengthen California's competitiveness." Members will also look for opportunities to win new military activities and infrastructure across the next 20 years.
Several California bases are considered at risk by the state's congressional delegation, including El Segundo's Los Angeles Air Force Base, which houses a center that develops satellites, missiles and rockets, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow, a maintenance depot. The Monterey Peninsula's Defense Language Institute is also considered a target.
Local efforts are also under way to save bases such as the Naval Air Weapons Station in China Lake, Beale Air Force Base near Marysville and several San Diego-area facilities, including the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. In Solano County, Fairfield officials estimate Travis Air Force Base represents 13,000 jobs and $1.3 billion a year to the local economy.
Schwarzenegger made the avoidance of California base closings a priority in signing several bills this year by state lawmakers. Among them, cities and counties must notify military commanders of local development plans near military bases and below low-altitude aerial training routes.
The bill, by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, nearly died earlier this year because of opposition from local governments and developers, but Schwarzenegger staffers revived it. Kuehl and Schwarzenegger said the bill represented a signal to the Pentagon that California is serious about keeping its growth and land development from interfering with the military's mission. Arizona, Washington, Texas and Florida have passed similar bills, aiming to send the same message to Washington.
Schwarzenegger also signed bills to add $300,000 to the state's Office of Military and Aerospace Support, which coordinates the state's base retention strategy. That brings its budget to $500,000, said Schwarzenegger spokesman Vince Sollitto. The bill also allows the office to seek grants and private funding. More signed legislation aims to reduce construction costs for base housing.
Commissioners will receive no compensation for their work on the panel.
Strange, I wasn't talking about what the joint chiefs want. I was talking about what I want... to keep the thousands that invade our country every day from cotinuing to cross into our country virtually unchecked.
Enough of the word games though, what is your position on our unprotected southern border. I've made my position clear.
And what's a CWO Jackson?
Correction: And what's a CWO, Jackson?
Oh, that's different. What "you" want is meaningless.
While we are here...what bases do you think will be shutdown?
Stop wasting my time you jerk.
Me? I'm not wasting your time, you're doing that all on your own...jerk. LOL!
Thought I would put it in terms you could understand. Looks like you understand them. Anyhow, obviously we are not going to have a good discussion on this. See you on another topic.
That you're a jerk who likes to waste your own time? I understood that from your very first post.
At this point, I don't know. I need to do some reviewing of the remaining bases.
California has definitely taken some pretty big whacks so far in past closings.
Please, No (circle) jerking on this thread, you two. :-)
BJN.. CWO stands for Chief Warrant Officer in the military scheme of rank.
I couldn't agree more, which is why I wasn't contributing to the real topic before they came along. I am very glad to return to the real topic.
We knocked it off already. Now we are at it in FReepmail. LOL Thanks for the defintion of CWO. Best Regard, BJN
LOL.. Thanks! :-)
Well, I'm getting ready to leave for BMT in about 13 days...I was just curious which AF bases might go...I'm personally hoping they keep Charleston AFB, it's a pretty major East coast hub...but so was the Navy base.
A good example was the Presidio. Great location, expensive location, beautiful location...unnecessary location.
I'm just surprised that we finally closed the installations in Bermuda, which were nothing more then tax payer funded resorts for Congress.
The Presidio is one that I would probably close, but being as Panetta has his Institute in that area it will probably be fought for to the bitter end.
Your explanation does not explain the closing of McClellan. There were only five bases of that type and the Coast Guard still flies out of there even though it is no longer a base.
The Clinton administration closed it. I heard, I cannot confirm this, that it was leased out to a Chinese shipping firm.
As for McClellan I don't know why it was closed. Did it still have a strategic mission? What was it's mission?
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