Bric a Brac
It's tough to close bases when you have 535 powerful people fighting you for parochial reasons ("you can close all the other bases, but the base in my district is vital to my re-election...I mean, national security").
So the Defense Department has a web site stating how wonderful base closures are. BRAC (they like acronyms) includes a lot of information in attempt to counter the politicos:
Rumsfeld Recommends Infrastructure Cuts
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2005 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's recommendations to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission would cut excess military infrastructure between 5 and 11 percent, Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon news conference today.
Service Leaders Support Recommendations
WASHINGTON, May 12, 2005 – Senior service leaders at the Pentagon expressed confidence today in the base realignment and closure process and acknowledged that it's a critical part of the Defense Department's transformation to make the military better able to meet 21st-century threats.
BRAC is a 'Good Thing'
"It says to the taxpayers of America, 'By golly, we care about your dollars, and we're going to see that the dollars are spent in an intelligent way on things that are actually needed, rather than wasted funds. So it's a good thing, this BRAC."
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld - March 29, 2005
Base Closing Good News for Texas Capital
AUSTIN, Texas – Though the fear of losing jobs and revenue grips nearby cities and towns when the Defense Department decides to close a military installation, the bad news can be made good. Such was the case when Bergstrom Air Force Base here closed in 1993, its fate sealed by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure.
Community Deems Former Base 'Everything We Wanted It to Be'
CHARLESTON, S.C. – “Doom and gloom” describes how residents of this city felt when the Pentagon decided to close the Charleston Naval Complex in 1993. Today, more than 80 new industrial business and federal agencies occupy the base, many of which have invested millions in the infrastructure.
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