Posted on 06/16/2005 5:26:50 AM PDT by Bottom_Gun
Ever since the shocking recommendation by the Defense Department to close Submarine Base New London, residents of Connecticut — from public officials, to business leaders, to concerned citizens — have come together in common cause to keep alive this unique military asset.
No one in our state needs to be convinced that the effects of closing the base would be devastating. Life in Southeastern Connecticut is inextricably linked to the Sub Base — from the base itself, to Electric Boat and its subcontractors where these extraordinary vessels are built, to the local businesses that serve our military and their families. It is estimated that the closure would ultimately cost Connecticut's economy 31,500 jobs and $3.3 billion.
The adverse impact of closing the base — while enormous — will not be enough to convince the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission to reverse the Defense Department's recommendation. This is why we intend to show that the Pentagon's recommendation is directly contrary to two essential criteria — military value and cost.
Our Nation is at war, and submarines — which can intercept intelligence signals, participate in special operations, and launch precision-guided weapons — play a critical role in our global fight against terrorism. They will also be indispensable in meeting a growing threat from China, which is seeking to expand its sphere of influence in the Pacific Ocean.
Submarines are as important as they have ever been. And Southeastern Connecticut stands alone as the community with the experience, resources, and infrastructure needed to ensure that the American fleet remains the best in the world.
Put simply, there is no place in the world like Groton. Along with its 18 fast attack submarines, the Sub Base is also home to the Navy Submarine Support Facility, where the ships are maintained, the Navy Submarine School, where our nuclear submariners receive education and training, as well as Submarine Development Squadron 12, where the most cutting-edge submarine technologies are developed and tested.
Finally, Groton is home to Electric Boat, the world's premier submarine builder and designer. While their ships are in port, many of the sailors who man the ships literally work side by side with the highly skilled engineers who build and maintain them.
With these many institutions all located in one tightly-knit community in Southeastern Connecticut, mutually beneficial relationships have developed which are unparalleled anywhere in the submarine industry — perhaps in our entire military. These relationships have produced the best submarines in the world, and the best trained submariners in the world.
The Defense Department has suggested that the unique and extraordinary facilities at Sub Base New London could simply be rebuilt — some in Norfolk, Va, and others in Kings Bay, Ga. But it is unrealistic to suggest that institutions and practices that have evolved together over the past 100 years could be rebuilt from scratch, in two different places. If anything, the Navy should be moving submarines and sailors from Kings Bay or Norfolk to Groton — not the other way around.
On a cost basis, as well, it is difficult to understand why the Defense Department believes closing the base in New London would be a good idea. The Department estimates that it would cost $690 million to close the base, but there is good reason to believe that this estimate is significantly lower than the actual cost. In fact, this number does not include a single dollar for closing and rebuilding the sub school — a task that some believe could cost $700 million alone.
The information that has been made public thus far raises more questions than it answers. Why was New London given zero points in the “pier space” category when, in fact, the base has ample pier space? Why did New London score lower than both Norfolk and Kings Bay on “specialized skills training,” when more training is done at New London than at both of these bases combined? Why, just one month prior to the release of the base closure list, were the savings associated with closing the New London base adjusted up, while the costs were adjusted down?
To put it simply, the numbers do not add up — and that is the message that we will be sending the BRAC Commissioners between now and September, when they make their final recommendations to the President and Congress. I intend to fight, together with the governor, Connecticut's Congressional delegation, and concerned citizens across our state, to ensure that this message is heard loud and clear.
In order to meet changing and evolving military threats in the 21st century, our nation will have to make difficult choices. But these choices need to be smart ones. And cutting the heart out of America's submarine force is a mistake we cannot afford to make.
The writer is Connecticut's senior U.S. senator.
who can hit me with a single ping, for the list?
The military is for National Defense: lately, it has been used as a civilian jobs program and as a pork barrel for career politicians.
I trust the military to determine its needs more than I do the civilians near the bases or a politician trying to force the retention of a base in their district.
hey chris....... you lost and must bear the stain of looser.
To the victors go the spoils.
The base has been slated for closure for years. It has always been saved by backdoor deals. The good democratic senator from Connecticut does like the military anyways so what is the beef...?
kinda hard for me to have any sympathy for the new london area.....i was based there while i was on a fast attack and it was common for any vehicle with DOD stickers in the windshield to get its windsheild busted in. there was such a bad relationship between local businesses and navy personnel that navy people used $2 bills for a while for every purchase in town, and with the huge amount of $2 bills floating around after that, they kinda got the idea that new london would be a ghost town if it wasn't for the navy people they didn't like having around.
I'm a CT Yankee ( Windham ) ...Can't stomach Dodd , but he's right about this .
I've been corrected.... There IS a military spending program that Sen. Dodd will support.
Too bad it's just because it's his pork.
Dodd is a boob. But I hope this base is saved. I do think it is important for CT to have this base, and important for the country as a whole. Southeast CT will probably be fine without it...but we shouldn't hemorhage the talent and experience that is based in Groton.
Isn't Kings Bay, Georgia, where the work is to be transferred, a lot like Groton?
Dodd, the hater of a strong America and our military being the best is looking at the jobs only.
Portland, Oregon which welcomes Jihadists and hates America, Republicans and the military is suddenly upset that the AF will pull its fighter planes from the Portland Airport.
Like Dodd, it is related to jobs. That fighter wing apparently accounts for over 500 jobs.
Isn't Kings Bay, Georgia, where the work is to be transferred, a lot like Groton?
Bet they don't have to worry about ice buildup on the boats during the winter in King's Bay. Winter in CT is not like winter in GA.
AMEN!
When will the nut-bag lefty politicos realize that if they publically demonize the military, the military may decide that a presence in their state is not a good idea?
These letfty's are getting what they asked for.
Did they every learn the old lesson of "don't slap the hand that feeds you?"
"Like Dodd, it is related to jobs."
You nailed it, Gramps!
Thanks for the ping!
I thought they were just moving the sub bases - due to the activity in the world at the present time. The SD base is being moved also. So .. although one base is being "closed" .. it's actually just being moved.
This is just more liberal whining.
This sounds just like the whining when the announcement came out about the fighter wing being removed from Portland's airport.
First they hate the military, then they whine if a base or unit is shut down.
Dodd's own military experience would make good fodder for a Michael Moore-type expose, were he so inclined; in the late 60s and early 70s, being the son of a US Senator (Thomas Dodd) but still draftable, a National Guard slot was "found" for him in an infantry company at the New Britain Armory. However, no one I know from that era remembers him doing drills. Hmm. Must've done a lot of SUTAs (make-ups.)
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