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President Obama is backtracking from his campaign promise that “I don’t think now is the time” for another round of military base closures across the country. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday presented the $526 billion defense budget request for fiscal 2014, which explicitly calls for shutting down facilities in a process called Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC). “BRAC is the only effective means of achieving infrastructure consolidation,” the Pentagon said. “This BRAC round adds $2.4 billion to costs in the next five years but would eventually save substantial sums. The actual closing of bases would involve a multiyear...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed Gov. Rod Blagojevich's lawsuit aimed at stopping the military from moving fighter jets from Illinois to Indiana. Judge Jeanne Scott ruled that Illinois had suffered no economic loss or breakdown in security because a federal commission's recommendation to move 15 F-16s to a base in Fort Wayne, Ind., is not final. In a statement, Blagojevich said that the "battle to do what is right for Illinois and our country is certainly not over." But a spokesman said aides had not yet decided on the next step. The Democratic governor argued that...

Panel spares S. Dakota air base, senator relieved Fri Aug 26, 2005 12:48 PM ET By David Lawder WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A military panel on Friday voted to keep open South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Base, a decision that overturned a Pentagon recommendation and spared the state's Republican senator a major political defeat. The decision to preserve the base for the Cold War-era B-1 bomber was a victory for Sen. John Thune, a freshman Republican who beat former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle last November based on his claims that he would be better placed to save the facility....

The FAS's Secrecy News has obtained documents that question the assumptions that the DOD used in making base realignment and closure (BRAC) recommendations for the DOD's RDT&E centers. Items posted include an undated overview from “a concerned citizen”; a June 18, 2004, paper written by an internal defense analyst criticizing “military value metrics”; and a May 10, 2005, paper that found significant flaws in DOD’s methodology for deciding base closures. Also posted are a July 21, 2005, letter from Sen. John Warner (R-VA) requesting a copy of all papers by the analyst on BRAC proposals and a July 25, 2005,...

Presenter: Special Assistant to The Secetary of The Army Ray Bubois; Army Vice Chief of Staff Richard Cody Wednesday, July 27, 2005 2:04 p.m. EDT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Defense Department Special Briefing on Announcement of New Locations for The Active Duty Army's Modular Brigade Combat Teams MR. DUBOIS: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As most of you know, I'm Ray DuBois. In my various guises in this building, today I'm the special assistant to the secretary of the Army. You know Dick Cody, the vice chief of staff of the Army. We're going to discuss today with you all what we consider...

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....

Remember when Puerto Rico was raising hell about the US Navy using that nothing little island just off the coast of Puerto Rico for bombing practices which they had used for the past 75 years? Demonstrations were held, Hollywood left wingers, Al Sharpton, and his fellow demagogues went down there to demonstrate to get the Navy out? Were you infuriated? Wellllllllllllllll, here is the revenge. Always be careful what you ask for, you just might get it! One of the many headaches that the U. S. has had was the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques. In the waning years of...

Concord -- As towns across the country nervously await word about which military bases the Pentagon wants to close, this San Francisco suburb is hardly on edge. It'd be happy if the government included the Concord Naval Weapons Station on its list of proposed closures being released Friday. In a letter to Navy officials, Mayor Laura Hoffmeister spoke of "tremendous benefits for the city of Concord and the Department of the Defense" if the 63-year-old installation is shuttered. About 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, the base covers thousands of grassy acres that Concord officials believe is ideal for homes...

President Bush is expected within a week to finish naming members of the nine-person commission that will determine which U.S. military bases will be shut down.On March 4, Bush nominated former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony J. Principi to chair the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission.The Senate must approve Principi and the remaining eight BRAC nominees. Bush has until March 15 to submit all the names.The president is allowed to pick three of the commissioners and designate one of them as chairman. House and Senate leaders pick the other six, but those recommendations are subject to White House approval.The 2005...

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. Governor Schwarzenegger is taking the image that once sold movie tickets and using it to try to save California's military bases. The governor will turn his skills of persuasion on federal budget-cutters preparing to close down as many as 100 bases nationwide, with 62 potential targets in California. The governor told employees at defense contractor Northrop Grumman today that he would do everything possible to save California's military bases. California lost 29 bases in the last round of closures from 1988 to 1995, losses some blamed on state infighting. The governor has been organizing a united front...

Transformation plans to be addressed soon, says U.S. ambassador By David Josar, Stars and Stripes European edition, Thursday, January 22, 2004 STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. ambassador to Germany on Tuesday said he expected an announcement about the U.S. European Command’s transformation plans in the next few months and definitely before U.S. elections in November. Ambassador Dan Coats met with EUCOM officials and later had a private lunch meeting with members of the local German media. His comments were printed in the Stuttgarter Zeitung and confirmed by a spokesman for the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt. Coats’ words are one of...

For Your Info. The Army bases currently proposed for closure or realignment in 2005 include: Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; Detroit Arsenal, Michigan; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort McPherson/Gillem, Georgia; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Fort Polk, Louisiana (to realign); Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Lima Army Tank Plant, Ohio; Natick Soldier Center, Massachusetts; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; Sierra Army Depot, California; and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Air Force base closures and realignments include: Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Beale AFB, California; Brooks AFB, Texas; Cannon AFB,...

U.S. Could Close All but One German Base BERLIN - Every U.S. military base in Germany except one supporting operations in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq (news - web sites) could be closed in a potential reorganization of American forces, the top U.S. commander in Europe said in an interview published Saturday. The bulk of about 115,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe are in Germany, prompting analysts to forecast that thousands will leave once Pentagon (news - web sites) planners decide how to adapt structures left over from the Cold War to new tasks such as fighting...

The upcoming 2005 Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) commission will trim excess domestic base infrastructure, which is estimated at 25% too large and costs billions of dollars a year. In addition, heighten base security is now a tremendous financial drain, and older buildings constructed during the Cold war have decayed and need replacement. The four previous base closure rounds now save our military $6.6 billion dollars each year. Read this GAO report (pdf) for more information. Nevertheless, there is a movement to derail the next round of base closures by convincing people it is cheaper to keep all bases open...