[CPEO-IRF] Rumsfeld Recommends 5 to 11 Percent Cut

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

BRAC 2005: Rumsfeld Recommends 5 to 11 Percent Cut in Infrastructure

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2005

WASHINGTON – 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.

"The department is recommending fewer major base closures than had 
earlier been anticipated, due in part to the return of tens of thousands 
of troops through our global posture review, and also due to decisions 
to reduce lease space by moving activities from lease space into owned 
facilities," Rumsfeld said.

But more than simply eliminating infrastructure, the BRAC round will 
allow the U.S. military to reorder itself to face the new threats of the 
21st century, the secretary said.

"In 1961, President Kennedy took office and found a U.S. defense 
establishment that was still largely arranged to re-fight World War II," 
Rumsfeld said. "He ordered an extensive consolidation of bases to meet 
the challenges of the Cold War."

DoD finds itself in the same situation. The department is using the BRAC 
round to change an infrastructure more attuned to the Cold War to meet 
"the new demands of war against extremists and other evolving 21st 
century challenges," Rumsfeld said.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Richard B. 
Myers, said that BRAC gives the military the opportunity "to increase 
our combat efficiency and effectiveness, and return our forces to the 
deployable force structure, thereby reducing stress on the force."

Many BRAC recommendations will ease stress on servicemembers by allowing 
the military to provide modern, world-class facilities and more 
efficient and joint organizations, the chairman said.

The secretary's recommendations go to the BRAC Commission on May 13. The 
commission will examine the recommendations and make its independent 
judgment on each. The commission will present its list to President Bush 
in September. The president may approve or disapprove the list in total. 
If he approves it, it will go to Congress. Congress has 45 days to 
disapprove the list. If it does not, the list becomes law.

The secretary emphasized that the prime factor in each BRAC 
recommendation is an assessment of an installation's underlying military 
value. "In a time of war, whenever we can find ways to increase support 
for military needs to help the warfighters, we should do no less," he said.

Previous BRAC rounds - in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 - eliminated 21 
percent of excess U.S. military infrastructure, and reallocated many 
billions of dollars to pressing military needs. "This year's 
recommendation ... should result in some $5.5 billion in recurring 
annual savings, a net savings of $48.8 billion over 20 years," Rumsfeld 
said.

"When combined with the proposed changes to U.S. global posture, that 
projected 20-year net-savings increases from $48.8 billion to $64.2 
billion, or some $6.7 billion per year."

The BRAC process began more than two years ago. Senior civilian and 
military leaders looked at how to close and realign current 
infrastructure to maximize warfighting capability.

"We had three objectives when we did that: continuing the progress we 
have made in transforming our force, including how we integrate our 
reserve component into the total force, and preparing them for the 21st 
century; and how we posture our forces globally to be more flexible and 
agile," Myers said, adding, "Second, configuring our infrastructure to 
enhance joint warfighting, facilitate joint training and improve 
efficiency and, finally, converting unneeded capacity into warfighting 
capability."

Both Rumsfeld and Myers thanked the many civilian and military personnel 
who worked on the process.

Officials said base closings and realignments are hard on the 
communities affected by the changes. Rumsfeld pledged to help the 
communities and workers that will be displaced by the process. "The 
department will take great care to work with these communities, with the 
respect that they have earned, and the government stands ready with 
economic assistance," he said.

For the original press release, go to
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2005/20050512_1054.html

--
Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
http://www.cpeo.org



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